consul

noun

con·​sul ˈkän(t)-səl How to pronounce consul (audio)
1
a
: either of two annually elected chief magistrates of the Roman republic
b
: one of three chief magistrates of the French republic from 1799 to 1804
2
: an official appointed by a government to reside in a foreign country to represent the commercial interests of citizens of the appointing country
the American consul in Rome
consulship noun

Examples of consul in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The band said Sunday the Australian consul who came to see it in detention was not allowed to see the members. Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 31 Jan. 2024 The Russian consul in Phuket said that they’ll be sent to Bangkok for deportation based on their citizenship. Bloomberg, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2024 Maybe a Roman consul along with Linda at times, but Linda was never the dictator in creative, which is the product itself. Allison Morrow, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024 His father is Eli Gill, consul for the administration at the Consulate General of Israel in Miami, the Herald confirmed. Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2024 The two were married by the archbishop of New York, with the Belgian consul as their witness, and quickly traveled to Kansas City. Patrick C. Salland, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2024 Caligula’s proposal to make his horse a consul comes up, too. Christopher Tayler, Harper's Magazine, 18 Dec. 2023 One of those tortoises, named Frederika, came to the island in 1991 as a gift from the French consul to the governor of St. Helena, reported Michael Binyon for the Times in 2017. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Dec. 2023 In Spain, Germany appointed as honorary consul onetime brewery manager Wilhelm Leissner, who also used the name Gustav Lenz. Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica, 30 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'consul.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin; perhaps akin to Latin consulere to consult

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of consul was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near consul

Cite this Entry

“Consul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consul. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

consul

noun
con·​sul ˈkän(t)-səl How to pronounce consul (audio)
1
: either of two chief officials of the ancient Roman republic who were elected each year
2
: an official appointed by a government to live in a foreign country to look after the commercial interests of citizens of the appointing country
consular adjective
consulship noun

Legal Definition

consul

noun
con·​sul ˈkän-səl How to pronounce consul (audio)
: an official appointed by a government to reside in a foreign country in order to represent the commercial interests of citizens of the appointing country
consular adjective
consulship noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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