proconsul

[ proh-kon-suh l ]

/ proʊˈkɒn səl /

noun

Roman History. an official, usually a former consul, who acted as governor or military commander of a province, and who had powers similar to those of a consul.

any appointed administrator over a dependency or an occupied area.

Nearby words

proclivity, proclus, procne, procoagulant, procollagen, proconsul, proconsulate, proconvertin, procopius, procrastinate, procrastination

Origin of proconsul

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin prōconsul; see pro-¹, consul

Related forms

pro·con·su·lar, adjectivepro·con·su·lar·ly, adverb

Definition for proconsul (2 of 2)

Proconsul

[ proh-kon-suh l ]

/ proʊˈkɒn səl /

noun

an African subgenus of Dryopithecus that lived 17–20 million years ago and is possibly ancestral to modern hominoids.

Origin of Proconsul

< New Latin (1933), equivalent to pro- pro-¹ + Consul, allegedly the name of a chimpanzee in a London zoo (with a pun on Latin prōconsul proconsul); the genus was thought to be ancestral to the chimpanzee

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

Examples from the Web for proconsul

Government authority then rested with the Coalition Provisional Authority proconsul L. Paul Bremer.
What If the Iraq War Never Happened?|Michael Ware|March 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Proconsul half arose in his seat by way of protestation, as if he would forbid.
Saronia|Richard Short
At one end of this large hall was a broad alcove, raised a single step, and here was laid the dinner for the proconsul.
A Friend of Caesar|William Stearns Davis
At the expiration of his year of office, the Consul was sent to govern a province for one year, and was then called the Proconsul.
History of Rome from the Earliest times down to 476 AD|Robert F. Pennell

"The proconsul dines at this hour," had been Fleury's curt reply.
Lord Tony's Wife|Baroness Emmuska Orczy
Even if the proconsul should ask me himself who my god is, I am dumb.
The Apologia and Florida of Apuleius of Madaura|Lucius Apuleius

British Dictionary definitions for proconsul

proconsul

/ (prəʊˈkɒnsəl) /

noun

an administrator or governor of a colony, occupied territory, or other dependency

(in ancient Rome) the governor of a senatorial province

Derived Forms

proconsular (prəʊˈkɒnsjʊlə), adjectiveproconsulate or proconsulship, noun

Word Origin for proconsul

C14: from Latin, from prō consule (someone acting) for the consul. See pro- ², 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