consul

noun

con·​sul ˈkän(t)-səl 

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

ˈkän(t)-səl-ˌship 

noun

Examples of consul in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At least America’s Emperor of Chaos has not made his horse a consul. —Maureen Dowd, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2025

For Napoleon, then France’s first consul, 1802 was a critical year. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 May 2025

Six of the people were Mexican nationals, Raul Garcia, deputy consul at the Mexican Consulate in Philadelphia, tells Axios. —Mike D'onofrio, Axios, 29 Jan. 2025

After running a campaign along these lines, Marcus won the race for consul, gaining the most votes of any candidate. —Quintus Tullius Cicero, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2012

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

Phrases Containing consul

• consul general
• vice-consul

Rhymes for consul

• tonsil
• proconsul

Kids Definition

consul

noun

con·​sul ˈkän(t)-səl 

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

-s(ə-)lər 

adjective

consulship

-səl-ˌship 

noun

Legal Definition

consul

noun

con·​sul ˈkän-səl 

: 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

-sə-lər 

adjective

consulship noun