praetor
Meanings
noun
- The title designating a Roman administrative official whose role changed over time:
- A consul in command of the army.
- 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.
- A high civic or administrative official, especially a chief magistrate or mayor. Sometimes used as a title.
- 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.
Pronunciation
Word forms
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 (“leader”, “commander”, “magistrate”); the Latin praetor being contracted from *praeitor (“one who goes before”), from praeeō (“to go before”), from prae (“before”) + eō (“to go”); compare the Italian pretore, the Portuguese pretor, and the Spanish pretor.
Synonyms
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Translations
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