Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- Of or pertaining to a pretor; exercised by a pretor; judicial: as, pretorian authority; also, of or pertaining to a pretorium.
- Of or belonging to the bodyguard of a Roman emperor.
- noun A soldier of the pretorian guard.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Of or pertaining to a pretor or magistrate; judicial; exercised by, or belonging to, a pretor.
- adjective (Rom. Hist.) the emperor's bodyguards, instituted by the Emperor Augustus in nine cohorts of 1,000 men each.
- adjective (Rom. Antiq.) that one of the four gates in a camp which lay next the enemy.
- noun A soldier of the pretorian guard.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Alternative spelling of
praetorian .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective characteristic of or similar to the corruptible soldiers in the Praetorian Guard with respect to corruption or political venality
- adjective of or relating to a Roman praetor
Etymologies
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Examples
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The military roads were under the pretors, and were called pretorian roads; and the public roads for travel and commercial traffic were under the consuls, and were called consular roads.
The Road and the Roadside Burton Willis Potter 1885
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a consternation, and the whole palace was full of the soldiers 'madness, and the very emperor's guards seemed under the like fear and disorder with private persons, the band called pretorian, which was the purest part of the army, was in consultation what was to be done at this juncture.
Antiquities of the Jews Flavius Josephus 1709
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For their men of war; it is a dangerous state, where they live and remain in a body, and are used to donatives; whereof we see examples in the janizaries, and pretorian bands of Rome; but trainings of men, and arming them in several places, and under several commanders, and without donatives, are things of defence, and no danger.
The Essays 2007
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On this second refusal the old Chamberlain rose from his seat, and, with every mark of astonishment in his countenance, curled up the corners of his mouth, cast his eyes round the table, and in a voice as loud and articulate as he was able, called "Silence!" which being obtained, he thus addressed the pretorian magistrate, who sat in the
The Works of William Hogarth: In a Series of Engravings With Descriptions, and a Comment on Their Moral Tendency John Trusler
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It was not necessary for the early Christians to sit in judgment on the title of every new emperor, whenever the pretorian guards chose to put down one and put up another; neither are God's people now in various parts of the world called upon to discuss the titles and adjudicate the claims of their rulers.
Cotton is King, and Pro-Slavery Arguments Comprising the Writings of Hammond, Harper, Christy, Stringfellow, Hodge, Bledsoe, and Cartrwright on This Important Subject E. N. [Editor] Elliott
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Dioclesian, admiring the courage and virtue of St. Sebastian, who concealed his religion, would fain have him near his person, and created him captain of a company of the pretorian guards, which was a considerable dignity.
The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Principal Saints January, February, March Alban Butler
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But as for saying anything to the emperor to prevent the expedition, no one dared to do this except John the Cappadocian, the pretorian prefect,
History of the Wars, Books III and IV (of 8) The Vandalic War Procopius
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[4] Pliny informs us that Caius Julius, the father of Julius Caesar, a man of pretorian rank, died suddenly at Pisa.
The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 01: Julius Caesar Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus
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Archelaus was also sent, a man of patrician standing who had already been pretorian prefect both in Byzantium and in Illyricum, but he then held the position of prefect of the army; for thus the officer charged with the maintenance of the army is designated.
History of the Wars, Books III and IV (of 8) The Vandalic War Procopius
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The pretorian prefect, John, was a man of worthless character, and so skilful at devising ways of bringing money into the public treasury to the detriment of men that I, for my part, should never be competent to describe this trait of his.
History of the Wars, Books III and IV (of 8) The Vandalic War Procopius
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