praetor

noun

1. 1

   (history) The title designating a Roman administrative official whose role changed over time:

2. 2

   (by extension) A high civic or administrative official, especially a chief magistrate or mayor. Sometimes used as a title.

3. 3

   (translating Italian "pretore") The title of the chief magistrate, the mayor, and/or the podestà in Palermo, in Verona, and in various other parts of 17th- and 18th-century Italy.