Where does “Praetorian” come from?
Praetorian (English) comes from Middle English pretorian, from Latin praetōriānus, from Latin praetor, from Latin praeeo, from Latin prae, from Proto-Italic prai, from Proto-Indo-European preh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European per- — passed , crossed.
Praetorian (English): A member of a special bodyguard force used by...
Definitions
- A member of a special bodyguard force used by...
Ancestry of “Praetorian”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | pretorian | — |
| 2 | Latin | praetōriānus | praetorian |
| 3 | Latin | praetor | leader, head, chief, president |
| 4 | Latin | praeeo | I precede; I go forward; lead the way; I dictate |
| 5 | Latin | prae | before; in front; in front of |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | prai | before; in front of |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |