consul

a diplomat residing in a foreign country: the American consul in France

Not to be confused with:

council – a gathering of people for consultation: The matter was brought before the council for an opinion.

counsel – consultation; a lawyer; advice; guidance: She sought counsel for the proposed adoption.

con·sul

(kŏn′səl)

n. Abbr. Con. or Cons.

1. An official appointed by a government to reside in a foreign country and represent his or her government's commercial interests and assist its citizens there. See Usage Note at council.

2. Either of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, elected for a term of one year.

3. Any of the three chief magistrates of the French Republic from 1799 to 1804.

[Middle English, Roman consul, from Latin cōnsul; possibly akin to cōnsulere, to take counsel.]

con′su·lar (-sə-lər) adj.

con′sul·ship′ n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

consul

(ˈkɒnsəl)

1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) an official appointed by a sovereign state to protect its commercial interests and aid its citizens in a foreign city

2. (Historical Terms) (in ancient Rome) either of two annually elected magistrates who jointly exercised the highest authority in the republic

3. (Historical Terms) (in France from 1799 to 1804) any of the three chief magistrates of the First Republic

[C14: from Latin, from consulere to consult]

consular adj

ˈconsulˌship n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

con•sul

(ˈkɒn səl)

n.

1. an official appointed by the government of a country to look after its commercial interests and the welfare of its citizens in another country.

2. either of the two chief magistrates of the ancient Roman republic.

3. one of the three supreme magistrates of the French First Republic from 1799 to 1804.

[1350–1400; Middle English < Latin; taken to be a derivative of consulere to consult, but orig. and interrelationship of both words is unclear]

con′su•lar, adj.

con′sul•ship`, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

consul - a diplomat appointed by a government to protect its commercial interests and help its citizens in a foreign country

diplomat, diplomatist - an official engaged in international negotiations

Translations

قُنْصُل

konzul

konsul

konsuli

konzul

ræîismaîur, konsúll

console

領事

영사

konsulaskonsulataskonsulinis

konsuls

konzul

konsul

กงสุล

konsoloskonsül

lãnh sự

领事执政官

consul

[ˈkɒnsəl] N (= diplomatic official) → cónsul mf
consul general → cónsul mf general

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

consul

[ˈkɒns^əl] n (= official) → consul m

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

consul

n → Konsul m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

consul

[ˈkɒnsəl] n → console m
consul general → console generale

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

consul

(ˈkonsəl) noun

1. an agent who looks after his country's residents in (part of) a foreign country. the British Consul in Berlin.

2. either of the two chief magistrates in ancient Rome.

ˈconsular (-sju-) adjective

consulate (ˈkonsjulət) , ((American) -sələt) noun

the office or residence of a consul.

consul

→ قُنْصُل konzul konsul Konsul πρόξενος cónsul konsuli consul konzul console 領事 영사 consul konsul konsul cônsul консул konsul กงสุล konsolos lãnh sự 领事

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

One was the British consul at Suez, who, despite the prophecies of the English Government, and the unfavourable predictions of Stephenson, was in the habit of seeing, from his office window, English ships daily passing to and fro on the great canal, by which the old roundabout route from England to India by the Cape of Good Hope was abridged by at least a half.

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In vain the officer represented to Bartolomeo that he could not see the First Consul without having previously requested an audience in writing; the Italian insisted that the soldier should go to Bonaparte.

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When I returned from the country I found among my other letters a long letter from the consul. I have brought it with me, and I propose to read certain passages from it, which tell a very strange story more plainly and more credibly than I can tell it in my own words."

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When we went to call on our American Consul General today I noticed that all possible games for parlor amusement seemed to be represented on his center tables.

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"It isn't pleasant to have a woman tell you--" he went on, unheedingly, but breaking off suddenly: "Now if I were like Arobin-you remember Alcee Arobin and that story of the consul's wife at Biloxi?" And he related the story of Alcee Arobin and the consul's wife; and another about the tenor of the French Opera, who received letters which should never have been written; and still other stories, grave and gay, till Mrs.

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The American consul at the capital occupied a dwelling that faced the sea, with a sandy beach between.

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United States Consul Lingford was a fussy, elderly gentleman, and in the two years of his service at Attu-Attu had never encountered so unprecedented a case as that laid before him by Boyd Duncan.

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'As to his lordship's retired way of life, we have conversed on the subject with the consul and the banker--the only two strangers who held any communication with him.

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In the mean while John Petherick, the English consul at the city of Karthoum, has received about seven hundred pounds from the foreign office; he is to equip a steamer at Karthoum, stock it with sufficient provisions, and make his way to Gondokoro; there, he will await Captain Speke's caravan, and be able to replenish its supplies to some extent."

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THE SECOND class of powers, lodged in the general government, consists of those which regulate the intercourse with foreign nations, to wit: to make treaties; to send and receive ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls; to define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations; to regulate foreign commerce, including a power to prohibit, after the year 1808, the importation of slaves, and to lay an intermediate duty of ten dollars per head, as a discouragement to such importations.

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Of the first, the two Consuls of Rome may serve as an example; of the last, we shall find examples in the constitutions of several of the States.

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He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.

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