pretor

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: pre=tor

CIDE DICTIONARY

pretor, n. [L. praetor, for praeitor, fr. praeire to go before; prae before + ire to go. See Issue.].

•  A civil officer or magistrate among the ancient Romans.  [1913 Webster]

  " Originally the pretor was a kind of third consul; but at an early period two pretors were appointed, the first of whom (praetor urbanus) was a kind of mayor or city judge; the other (praetor peregrinus) was a judge of cases in which one or both of the parties were foreigners. Still later, the number of pretors, or judges, was further increased."  [1913 Webster]
•  Hence, a mayor or magistrate.  Dryden.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

pretor, US var. of PRAETOR.