The
Latin term
praetorium — or
prœtorium or
pretorium — originally signified a general’s tent within a Roman
castra,
castellum, or encampment. It derived from the name of one of the chief
Roman magistrates, the
praetor. (
Praetor (Latin, "leader") was originally the title of the highest-ranking civil servant in the
Roman Republic, but later became a position directly below the rank of
consul.)