proconsul

¹

[ proh-kon-suhl ]

noun

1. 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.
2. any appointed administrator over a dependency or an occupied area.

Proconsul

²

[ proh-kon-suhl ]

noun

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

proconsul

/ prəʊˈkɒnsjʊlə; prəʊˈkɒnsəl /

noun

1. an administrator or governor of a colony, occupied territory, or other dependency
2. (in ancient Rome) the governor of a senatorial province

Derived Forms

• proconsular, adjective
• proˈconsulate, noun

Other Words From

• pro·consu·lar adjective
• pro·consu·lar·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of proconsul¹

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

Origin of proconsul²

< 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of proconsul¹

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

Example Sentences

Government authority then rested with the Coalition Provisional Authority proconsul L. Paul Bremer.

From The Daily Beast

The curator of his city sent him in chains to the proconsul.

From Project Gutenberg

I was travelling through Judæa, on my way to Syria, and the Cæsar had desired me to visit the proconsul.

From Project Gutenberg

He said he was no Roman proconsul, but the slave of Carthage.

From Project Gutenberg

The Roman proconsul rose from his chair and motioned that the audience was at an end.

From Project Gutenberg

The other senatorial provinces were entrusted to praetors, who also bore the title of proconsul.

From Project Gutenberg