consulate

[ kon-suh-lit ]

/ ˈkɒn sə lɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR consulate ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the premises officially occupied by a consul.

the position, work, authority, or term of service of a consul.

(often initial capital letter) a government by consuls, as in France from 1799 to 1804.

RELATED WORDS

ministry

Nearby words

Origin of consulate

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin consulātus, equivalent to consul consul + -ātus -ate³

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

Examples from the Web for consulate

The safety of American personnel at the American consulate in Libya was undermined by a “stand down order.”
Congress Debunks Congress’s Nuttiest Benghazi Theories|Ben Jacobs|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Fortunately the Indian security guards at the consulate killed all the attackers.
Nuclear Pakistan's Spies Target India—and Their Own Prime Minister|Bruce Riedel|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Erbil, the Iraqi Kurdish capital, is home to a U.S. consulate and thousands of U.S. citizens working in the oil industry.
PKK Kurdish Terrorists Are Fighting IS Terrorists With U.S. Help|Thomas Seibert|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Neither the Indian consulate nor a representative from ICE in El Paso responded to requests for comment on this story.
How the U.S. Sold Out Indian Asylum Seekers on the Border|Caitlin Dickson|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

When that tactic failed to break the strike, the Sikhs received a visitor: a representative from the Indian consulate in Houston.
How the U.S. Sold Out Indian Asylum Seekers on the Border|Caitlin Dickson|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I thought of those miserable three days' grace which were all that the French consulate had accorded me.
Alone|Norman Douglas
He found his old friend the cabman in the Platz, and they drove like mad to the consulate.
The Goose Girl|Harold MacGrath
I requested to be taken at once to the Austrian consulate, where this difficulty was usually removed.
A Visit to the Holy Land, Egypt, and Italy|Ida Pfeiffer
They set out for the consulate at top speed and they did not stop, in spite of pursuit and cries of Halt!
The Blue Grass Seminary Girls on the Water|Carolyn Judson Burnett
Thus far the measures of the Consulate may be said to have carried with them the approbation of all but a few individuals.
The History of Napoleon Buonaparte|John Gibson Lockhart

British Dictionary definitions for consulate

consulate

/ (ˈkɒnsjʊlɪt) /

noun

the business premises or residence of a consul

government by consuls

the office or period of office of a consul or consuls

(often capital)

the government of France by the three consuls from 1799 to 1804
this period of French history

(often capital)

the consular government of the Roman republic
the office or rank of a Roman consul

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 consulate

consulate

late 14c., "government of Rome by the consuls," from Latin consulatus "office of a consul," from consul (see consul). Also used in reference to the consular government of France from 1799-1804. In reference to the office of a modern consul, from 1702.