Lewis & Short

praetōrĭus, a, um, adj. [praetor].

  1. I. Of or belonging to the prœtor or prœtors, prœtorian: jus, proceeding from the prœtor, consisting of his decisions, Cic. Off. 1, 10, 33: comitia, the election of prœtor, Liv. 10, 22: potestas, the office of a prœtor, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 24, 69: turba, to be found about the prœtor, accustomed to wait upon him, id. Verr. 2, 1, 52, § 137: jus praetorium, quod praetores introduxerunt adjuvandi, vel supplendi, vel corrigendi juris civilis gratiā: quod et honorarium dicitur, Dig. 1, 1, 7; Gai. Inst. 4, 34: pignus, Dig. 35, 2, 32: tutor, a guardian appointed by the prœtor Urbanus, Gai. Inst. 1, 184.
    1. B. Subst.: praetōrĭus, ii, m.
          1. (α) One who has been prœtor, an exprœtor, Cic. Att. 16, 7, 1.
          2. (β) One of prœtorian rank, Plin. Ep. 1, 14, 5.
  2. II. Of or belonging to the proprœtor, proprœtorian: domus deferebantur, his official residence in a province, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 56, § 145: exercitus, Flor. 3, 19, 11.
  3. III. Of or belonging to a general: praetoria cohors, the cohort or body-guard attached to every general, a prœtorian cohort, Caes. B. G. 1, 40; cf.: praetoria cohors est dicta, quod a praetore non discedebat. Scipio enim Africanus primus fortissimum quemque delegit, qui ab eo in bello non discederent et cetero munere militiae vacarent et sesquiplex stipendium acciperent, Paul. ex Fest. p. 223 Müll.
    Hence, derisively: scortatorum cohors praetoria, Cic. Cat. 2, 11, 24.
    The emperors especially had cohorts as a body-guard: castra, the camp of the prœtorians, Plin. 3, 5, 9, § 67; Suet. Tib. 37; Tac. A. 4, 2: cohortes navis, the flag-ship, the admiral’s ship, Liv. 26, 39: puppis, Flor. 2, 7, 7: imperium, the chief command, Cic. Div. 1, 32, 68: porta, the gate of the camp that opened from before the general’s tent directly towards the enemy (opp. the porta decumana, which was on the side farthest from the enemy), Caes. B. C. 3, 94: praetoria porta in castris appellatur, quā exercitus in proelium educitur, quia initio praetores erant, qui nunc consules, et hi bella administrabant, quorum tabernaculum quoque dicebatur praetorium, Paul. ex Fest. p. 223 Müll.