English
praetorian
Praetorian comes from Latin praetor ‘praetor (office)’, from praeeō ‘to go before, precede (with dative)’, and ultimately from eō.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEeō1
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraeeō2‘to go before, precede (with dative)’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraetor3‘praetor (office)’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraetōriānus4
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500pretorian4
- Englishearliest quotation 1851praetorian4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin praeeo
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin praetor
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin praetorianus
- 4 Wiktionary, English praetorian
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1851, Herman Melville, The Whale: “I am so rich, I could have given bid…”.
Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEeōWiktionary, Latin praeeo
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraeeōWiktionary, Latin praetor‘to go before, precede (with dative)’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraetorWiktionary, Latin praetorianus‘praetor (office)’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraetōriānusWiktionary, English praetorian
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500pretorianWiktionary, English praetorian
- Englishearliest quotation 1851praetorianWiktionary, English praetorian. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1851, Herman Melville, The Whale: “I am so rich, I could have given bid…”
Linked words
through Latin eō
issue, initial, exit, transition, ambitious, ambition, ambient, obituary, trance, eyre, transient, sedition, seditious, transitive, ambit, obit, ambiance, transitory, 24 more
Today it means
adj Of or pertaining to a praetor.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “praetorian”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin praeeo, Latin praetor, Latin praetorianus. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Latin eō / praetorian