praetor

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Etymology

From Middle English pretour, pretor, from the Anglo-Norman pretour, pretore, the Middle French preteur (from the Old French pretor; compare the Modern French préteur), and their etymon, the Classical Latin praetor; the Latin being contracted from *praeitor, from praeeō ("I go before"), from prae ("before") + eō ("I go"); compare the Italian pretore, the Portuguese pretor, and the Spanish pretor.

Pronunciation

• (RP) enPR: prēʹtôr, IPA: /ˈpɹiːtɔː/
• (America) IPA: /ˈpɹiːtɚ/, /ˈpɹeɪːtɚ/

Noun

praetor (plural praetors)

1. (history) The title designating a Roman administrative official whose role changed over time:
   1. (originally) A consul in command of the army.
   2. (after 366 BC) An annually-elected curule magistrate, subordinate to the consuls in provincial administration, and who performed some of their duties; numbering initially only one, later two (either of the praetor urbānus ("urban praetor") or the praetor peregrīnus ("peregrine praetor")), and eventually eighteen.
2. (by extension) A high civic or administrative official, especially a chief magistrate or mayor. Sometimes used as a title.
3. (historical, translating Italian "pretore") The title of the chief magistrate, the mayor, and/or the podestà in Palermo, in Verona, and in various other parts of 17th- and 18th-century Italy.

Synonyms

• (Roman office) provost (obs.)

Related terms

• praetorial
• praetorian
  • → Praetorian Guard
• propraetor
• praetorium
• praetory
• praeturate

Translations

• French: préteur
• German: Prätor
• Italian: pretore
• Portuguese: pretor
• Russian: претор
• Spanish: pretor

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