proconsul

noun

pro·​con·​sul (ˌ)prō-ˈkän(t)-səl How to pronounce proconsul (audio)
1
: a governor or military commander of an ancient Roman province
2
: an administrator in a modern colony, dependency, or occupied area usually with wide powers
proconsular adjective

Examples of proconsul in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web There’s also the blinding of Elymas, in which Paul performs another miracle by temporarily blinding a sorcerer who tried to bar Paul from converting a Roman proconsul to Christianity. Steven Litt, cleveland, 1 Oct. 2022 The Senate long forbade its proconsuls from commanding Rome’s legions outside of their respective jurisdictions—especially into Italy itself, where the Rubicon marked the legal and physical demarcation of senatorial power. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 4 July 2019 Roman proconsul Gnaeus Egnatius built it in the first century B.C. to link the Adriatic with the Aegean Sea and the Bosporus. National Geographic, 3 Apr. 2019 Chad Shelton’s energetic and vocally assured performance as the feckless Roman proconsul comes closest to breaking through Monastyrska’s august demeanor. Eric Skelly, Houston Chronicle, 1 May 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'proconsul.' 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, from pro consule for a consul

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near proconsul

Cite this Entry

“Proconsul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proconsul. Accessed 3 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

proconsul

noun
pro·​con·​sul (ˈ)prō-ˈkän(t)-səl How to pronounce proconsul (audio)
: an administrator in a modern colony, dependency, or occupied area

More from Merriam-Webster on proconsul

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!