An officer who discharged the duties of a consul without being himself consul; a governor of, or a military commander in, a province
an anthropoid ape of the genus Proconsul a provincial governor of consular rank in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire an official in a modern colony who has considerable administrative power
someone who governed a part of the ancient Roman Empire (pro consule ). In the ancient Roman republic, a consul whose powers had been extended for a definite period beyond his regular one-year term. These extensions were necessitated by such events as long periods of war. The extension of a chief magistrate's term was originally voted by the people, but the power was soon assumed by the Senate. Provincial governors were usually magistrates whose terms had been extended. Under the empire (after 27 BC), governors of senatorial provinces were called proconsuls