Lat In Roman law. The name of an ollicer who, from the time of Augustus, had tbe superintendence of the city and its police, with jurisdiction extending one hundred miles from the city, and power to decide both civil and criminal cases. As he was considered the direct representative of the emperor, much that previously belonged to tbe prcetor urliunus fell gradually into his hands. Colq. Rom. Civil Law,
Black’s Law Online Dictionary
