consul:

(plural: ‘consuls‘ pronunciation: the letter ‘c’ is said with a ‘k’ sound as in “kon”, and the letter ‘u’ rhymes with the letter ‘a’ in “about”)

Martha Elvia Rosas, Mexican consul in California, USA

an official appointed by the government of a country to look after the business interests and the welfare of its citizens in another country;

an appointed representative of a country in another country;

a diplomat,

Indian consul in Saudi Arabia visiting an Indian in hospital

e.g.

The official residence or office of a consul is called a ‘consulate’, and ‘consular’ is the adjective form of ‘consul’.

There is a difference between a consul and an ambassador, in that a consul is there in a foreign country to assist his countrymen in trade and cultural activities; whereas, an ambassador is a high ranking official representing the head of state of his country to the head of state of the country he is appointed to and lives in, mostly dealing with political affairs.

There is only one ambassador representing his country in a foreign country, but there may be more than one consul in different parts of the country he lives in, assisting his/her people in that country.

A consul general, with plural form ‘consuls general’,  is a chief or first rank consul in charge of all the other consuls of his/her country in a foreign region or country.

Compare: ambassador

 

Compare: “council ~~ counsel” in Words Often Confused

the Saudi consul (L) meeting with consul general of Quatar in Karachi, Pakistan

Language usage:
The three words “Council, counsel, and consul” are not interchangeable, i.e. one word cannot be used for another, though their meanings are related. Council and councillor / councilor refer mainly to a group of people elected or nominated, such as a city council or student council at a university, its work, and its membership. Counsel and counsellor / counselor are used chiefly to refer to an expert who can advise and guide anyone in general or a person/professional in particular, such as a lawyer or camp counselor, who gives it. Consul, this entry, is an officer in the foreign service of a country, lives there and looks after his/her country’s business and people.

For an informative article that gives us definitions of the terminology used for officials/representatives of one country in another, please click here, for an excellent article on the difference between a consulate and an embassy, please click here, and for an item of news that shows how we find this word in our daily reading, please click here.

About the Author:BC Kumar

BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language. Disclaimer: This is a free educational website and all content has been compiled by the author. All copyrights to images and videos belong to their respective owners.

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