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DictionaryconsulateDiplomatic office
noun

consulate

KAHN-suh-lut/ˈkɑːnsələt/

The office and duties of a consul.

The consulate helps its country's citizens with passport problems abroad.

Inside a foreign government office, an official helps a worried traveler replace a lost passport while other citizens wait for assistance.
Etymology
consulLatinRoman chief magistrate
+ateLatinoffice or rank

Consul with an office-forming ending first named the office of a Roman magistrate. When the title shifted to representatives of citizens and commerce abroad, consulate likewise came to name their official position.

In context

Zahra' Langhi5:04
On another day we wake up to the news of the murder of the American ambassador and the attack on the consulate.
Zahra' Langhi: Why Libya's revolution didn't work -- and what might
CUNY TV8:24
down to the U.S. consulate, U.S. embassy, and reported that
Joyce Horman on the Chilean Military Coup of 1973 | Bob Herbert's Op-Ed.TV

More examples

  • We contact the consulate to report a stolen passport.
  • The consulate issues visas for business travelers.
  • Several consulates have offices downtown.

Forms

consulate · consulates

consul noun — An official assisting a country's citizens abroad.

consular adjective — Relating to a consul or consulate.

Similar words

embassy
Handles relations between governments, rather than primarily providing consular services.