proconsul

Forms

proconsul m (plural proconsuls, feminine proconsule)^[1] Middle French had the isolated form proconses (early 14th century), taken from the Latin nominative.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin prōcōnsul (“magistrate governing a province after his consulship”) (the TLFi specifies its accusative).^[2][3][4] The Latin word is formed from prō (“for, in place of”) and cōnsul.^[3][5][6] Old Occitan had borrowed it as proconsul as early as about 1140.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first records, in an edition of Jean de Vignay's Miroir historial (1495–1496) and in Lemaire de Belges (1513), use it of the Roman magistrates.^[2]

Semantic evolution

A term of Roman history, it named a consul whose powers were extended after his year of office to govern a province or finish a campaign, and under the Empire the governor of a senatorial province.^[2][7] By analogy it came to be used of anyone wielding absolute, unchecked power over a province or colony, and during the Revolution, disparagingly, of the commissioners the Convention sent into the rebel departments (1797).^[3][2][5] The derivatives proconsulaire (1512) and proconsulat (1552) were borrowed from Latin in the same period.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 1140 – Old Occitan proconsul is recorded.^[2]
• 1495–1496 – First French record, in Jean de Vignay's Miroir historial.^[2][3]
• 1512 – Proconsulaire is borrowed.^[4][3]
• 1552 – Proconsulat is recorded.^[4][8]
• 1797 – Used of the Convention's commissioners in the departments.^[2][3]
• 1818 – C. Delavigne uses it figuratively.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Roman history) A former consul who, on leaving office, kept military, civil and judicial power to govern a province or continue a campaign.^[2][8][7]
2. (Roman history) Under the Empire, the governor of a senatorial province.^[2][7]
3. (literary, figurative) A person who rules a province, colony or conquered territory with absolute and unchecked power.^[7][9][6]
4. (history) A commissioner sent by the National Convention into the departments, a disparaging name.^[5][2]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)