consul
UK /ˈkɒn.səl/ · US /ˈkɑn.səl/ noun
Forms consuls
- noun (historical) Either of the two heads of government and state of the Roman Republic or the equivalent nominal post under the Roman and Byzantine Empires.
- noun (historical) Any of the three heads of government and state of France between 1799 and 1804.
- noun (obsolete) A count or earl.
- noun (historical) A member of early modern city councils in southern France and Catalonia.
- noun (historical) An officer of the trading and merchant companies of early modern England.
- noun (historical) An official in various early modern port and trading towns, elected by resident foreign merchants to settle disputes among themselves and to represent them to the local authorities.
- noun (by extension) An official residing in major foreign towns to represent and protect the interests of the merchants and citizens of their country.
- noun (obsolete) A high government official, generally either a coruler himself or a counsellor directly under the ruler.
Synonyms
count counsellor councillor early modern councilmen of southern France and Catalonia
Etymology
From Middle English consul, from Old English consul, from Latin cōnsul.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [L., prob. fr. consulere to deliberate. See Consult.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “consul”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details