Pre-tō′ri-an, a.

a. [Lat. prætorianus, It. & Sp. prætoriano, Fr. prétorien.] Belonging to a pretor or judge; judicial; exercised by the pretor; as, pretorian power or authority.

Pretorian bands or guards, or pretorians (Rom. Hist.), the emperor’s guards. Their number was increased by Vitellius to sixteen thousand men. — Pretorian gate (Rom. Antiq.), that one of the four gates in a camp which lay next the enemy. Brande.