prae·to·ri·an

also pre·to·ri·an (prē-tôr′ē-ən)

adj.

1. Of or relating to a praetor or the praetorship.

2. Praetorian Of or belonging to the Praetorian Guard.

3. Venal; corruptible: "A large praetorian bureaucracy, filled with ambitious, possessive ... and often sycophantic people, makes work and makes trouble" (Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.).

1. A praetor or ex-praetor.

2. Praetorian A member of the Praetorian Guard.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

praetorian

(priːˈtɔːrɪən) or

pretorian

adj

(Historical Terms) of or relating to a praetor

(Historical Terms) a person holding praetorian rank; a praetor or ex-praetor

Praetorian

(priːˈtɔːrɪən) or

Pretorian

adj

1. (Historical Terms) of or relating to the Praetorian Guard

2. (sometimes not capital) resembling the Praetorian Guard, esp with regard to corruption

(Historical Terms) a member of the Praetorian Guard

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

prae•to•ri•an

(priˈtɔr i ən, -ˈtoʊr-)

adj.

1. of or pertaining to a praetor.

2. (often cap.) of or pertaining to the Praetorian Guard.

3. a praetor or ex-praetor.

4. (often cap.) a soldier of the Praetorian Guard.

[1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin praetōriānus. See praetor, -ian]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	Praetorian - a member of the Praetorian Guard Praetorian Guard Praetorian Guard - the elite bodyguard of a Roman Emperor in ancient Rome bodyguard, escort - someone who escorts and protects a prominent person
Adj.	1.	praetorian - of or relating to a Roman praetor; "praetorial powers" praetorial, pretorial, pretorian
	2.	Praetorian - characteristic of or similar to the corruptible soldiers in the Praetorian Guard with respect to corruption or political venality; "a large Praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious...and often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble"- Arthur M.Schlesinger Jr. Pretorian corrupt - lacking in integrity; "humanity they knew to be corrupt...from the day of Adam's creation"; "a corrupt and incompetent city government"

praetorian

adjective

Ruthlessly seeking personal advantage:

corrupt, mercenary, venal.

Informal: crooked.

Translations

prétorien

praetorian

[prɪˈtɔːrɪən]

A. ADJ → pretoriano

B. CPD praetorian guard N → guardia f pretoriana

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

I am so rich, I could have given bid for bid with the wealthiest Praetorians at the auction of the Roman empire (which was the world's); and yet I owe for the flesh in the tongue I brag with.

View in context

"It would be very whimsical," thought he, "if, this evening, my praetorians should make me king of France.

View in context

Knowing the sloth of the Emperor Julian, he persuaded the army in Sclavonia, of which he was captain, that it would be right to go to Rome and avenge the death of Pertinax, who had been killed by the praetorian soldiers; and under this pretext, without appearing to aspire to the throne, he moved the army on Rome, and reached Italy before it was known that he had started.

View in context

To the second floor on which the window was situated, he ascended, much pre-occupied in mind by the uncertainties besetting the Roman Empire, and much regretting the death of the amiable Pertinax: who only last night had left the Imperial affairs in a state of great confusion, by falling a victim to the fury of the praetorian guards.

View in context

In the end, then, this is a general account of the Roman imperial period, masquerading as a book on the praetorians. It is well illustrated, with twenty-eight plates, though these are not often discussed in any detail in the text.

Praetorian: The Rise and Fall of Rome's Imperial Bodyguard

And he will have to answer about being part of praetorians engineering works and his role during late 1980s to 1990s.

Irrelevance of TRC in Pakistan

The Praetorians, by Jean Larteguy, translated by Xan Fielding.

Lessons of Algeria

Earlier this week, Mario Balotelli, Liverpool's striker, got into a spot of trouble when he reposted an image on Instagram that offended the Pecksniffian Praetorians of political correctness.

Leave Mario Balotelli Alone

The text is organized into four principle sections: an introduction; ancient Latin texts by Roman military professionals, on peacetime life and work, training, praetorians in politics, war and battle; commentary by Hoyos on those texts; and several appendices on the original texts, chronologies, Roman emperors, and maps of the empire.

A Roman Army reader; twenty-one selections from literary, epigraphic, and other documents

In the model put forward by Eric Nordlinger, the Pakistani praetorians would be classified as "Rulers." However, Ayesha Siddiqa, in her book, Military Inc, Inside Pakistan's Military Economy, reclassifies Pakistan's Praetorians according to criteria accompanying a comprehensive model of civil-military relations in which she identifies six categories.

Toward a reclassification of Praetorian Rulers: lessons from the Pakistani experience