consul

[ kon-suh l ]

/ ˈkɒn səl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR consul ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an official appointed by the government of one country to look after its commercial interests and the welfare of its citizens in another country.

either of the two chief magistrates of the ancient Roman republic.

French History. one of the three supreme magistrates of the First Republic during the period 1799–1804.

RELATED WORDS

diplomatic, valid

Nearby words

consubstantiate, consubstantiation, consuela, consuetude, consuetudinary, consul, consul general, consular, consular agent, consulate, consulate general

Origin of consul

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin; traditionally taken to be a derivative of consulere to consult, but orig. and interrelationship of both words is unclear

Related forms

con·su·lar, adjectivecon·sul·ship, nounnon·con·su·lar, adjectivesub·con·sul, noun

sub·con·su·lar, adjectivesub·con·sul·ship, noun

Can be confusedconsul council counsel (see usage note at council)

Usage note

See council.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for consular

Consular officials are protected against arrest only for acts committed in the course of their duties.
Husain Haqqani on America’s Diplomat Shame|Husain Haqqani|December 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Remember, Karl's scoop last week, timed to the testimony of the three consular aides, set off an earthquake.
Will ABC Finger the Liar?|Michael Tomasky|May 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Joudah said an American consular official did get in touch with her.
Critics Fear Visa Waiver For Israel Glosses Over Discrimination Against Americans|Ali Gharib, George Hale|May 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
What the hard-shell righties want to know is not about the boring issue of consular security.
The Nonexistent Case Against Susan Rice Crumbles|Michael Tomasky|November 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Marco Rubio and Saxby Chambliss want answers about consular security measures.
The Nonexistent Case Against Susan Rice Crumbles|Michael Tomasky|November 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
"I shall lay the whole matter before M. Desplaines—the consular agent of our government," cried Frank at last.
The Boy Aviators in Africa|Wilbur Lawton
Fifty-five dollars a month made a big hole in a consular income, and he would gaze down that ten-year vista with a sinking heart.
Wild Justice: Stories of the South Seas|Lloyd Osbourne
He took to wife Petronia, the daughter of a man of consular rank, and had by her a son named Petronius, who was blind of an eye.
The Lives Of The Twelve Caesars, Complete|C. Suetonius Tranquillus
The official, consular and civil life of the city was also represented.
The City of Auckland|John Barr
After hearing the evidence the Consular Judge granted the injunction.
In Darkest Africa, Vol. 2; or, The quest, rescue and retreat of Emin, governor of Equatoria|Henry Morton Stanley

British Dictionary definitions for consular

consul

/ (ˈkɒnsəl) /

noun

an official appointed by a sovereign state to protect its commercial interests and aid its citizens in a foreign city

(in ancient Rome) either of two annually elected magistrates who jointly exercised the highest authority in the republic

(in France from 1799 to 1804) any of the three chief magistrates of the First Republic

Derived Formsconsular (ˈkɒnsjʊlə), adjectiveconsulship, noun

Word Origin for consul

C14: from Latin, from consulere to consult

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for consular (1 of 2)

consular

adj.

early 15c., from Latin consularis, from consul (see consul).

Word Origin and History for consular (1 of 2)

consul

late 14c., "magistrate in ancient Rome," from Old French consule and directly from Latin consul "magistrate in ancient Rome," probably originally "one who consults the Senate," from consulere "to deliberate, take counsel" (see consultation).

Modern sense began with use as appellation of various foreign officials and magistrates, "a representative chosen by a community of merchants living in a foreign country; an agent appointed by a government or ruler to represent the interests of its subjects and traders in a foreign place" (c.1600), an extended sense that developed 13c. in the Spanish form of the word.