proconsul

[ proh-kon-suhl ]

/ proʊˈkɒn səl /

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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.

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Origin of proconsul

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

OTHER WORDS FROM proconsul

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

Other definitions for proconsul (2 of 2)

Proconsul

[ proh-kon-suhl ]

/ 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 prōconsulproconsul); the genus was thought to be ancestral to the chimpanzee

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use proconsul in a sentence

Then, heralded by an obsequious guard, came a great man, proconsular in mien and gait.
Hyacinth|George A. Birmingham
The country was presented by the Romans to Eumenes, and subsequently formed part of the proconsular province of Asia.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 2|Various
Nevertheless, we are told that Cicero, in this case, abused his proconsular authority in favor of Brutus.
The Life of Cicero|Anthony Trollope
For if you say that you committed no such deeds, we simply read to you the records of the proconsular province and the state.
Writings in Connection with the Donatist Controversy|Aurelius Augustine

The Consuls remained at home, and Generals were sent out with proconsular authority.
Life of Cicero|Anthony Trollope

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 of proconsul

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