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

Kate Leonard, the honorary consul of Japan in San Diego, encouraged me to apply after reading my Mother’s Day opinion essay in The San Diego Union-Tribune. —Eva Kurima, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Jan. 2025

In 2022, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists found 500 current and former honorary consuls had been accused of crimes or embroiled in controversy. —Atossa Araxia Abrahamian Atossa Araxia Abrahamian, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025

Elad Shoshan, consul of Israel for the Southwest United States, is based in Houston but traveled to New Orleans in the aftermath of the truck-ramming attack that also killed 14 victims celebrating New Year's Day on the famed Bourbon Street. —Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 3 Jan. 2025

The vice consul’s story also intersects with two flashpoints in Iranian-American relations: a 1953 coup backed by the CIA and the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. —Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sep. 2024

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

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