pro·con·sul / prōˈkänsəl/ • n. 1. a governor of a province in ancient Rome, having much of the authority of a consul. 2. a governor or deputy consul of a modern colony.DERIVATIVES: pro·con·su·lar / -ˈkäns(y)ələr/ adj.pro·con·su·late / -ˈkäns(y)ələt/ n.pro·con·sul·ship / -ship/ n.

proconsul governor of an ancient Roman province XIV; governor of a modern colony, etc. XIX. — L. prōconsul, for prō consule (one acting) for the consul; see PRO-1, CONSUL.
So proconsular XVII. — L. prōconsulāris. Similarly propraetor XVI. — L., for prō prætōre.

Proconsul A genus of extinct apes known from fossil remains, 50 million years old, found mostly in Kenya and assigned to the species P. africanus. A find made in 1948 was the first discovery of a skull of Miocene ape. It is believed that Proconsul was similar and possibly closely related to the genus Dryopithecus.

Pro·con·sul / prōˈkänsəl/ • n. a fossil hominoid (genus Proconsul, family Pongidae) primate found in Lower Miocene deposits in East Africa, one of the last common ancestors of both humans and the great apes.

proconsul a governor of a province in ancient Rome, having much of the authority of a consul.

In 1933, the name Proconsul was given to a fossil hominoid primate found in Lower Miocene deposits in East Africa, one of the last common ancestors of both humans and the great apes.