# praetor

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɹiːtɔː/ · frequency rank #65,414

## Definitions
1. The title designating a Roman administrative official whose role changed over time:
2. The title designating a Roman administrative official whose role changed over time:
3. A high civic or administrative official, especially a chief magistrate or mayor. Sometimes used as a title.
4. 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.

## 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 (“I go before”), from prae (“before”) + eō (“I go”); compare the Italian pretore, the Portuguese pretor, and the Spanish pretor.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/praetor