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Praetorian Guard

American  

noun

Roman History.

  1. the bodyguard of a military commander, especially the imperial guard stationed in Rome.

Praetorian Guard British  

noun

  1. the bodyguard of the Roman emperors, noted for its political corruption, which existed from 27 bc to 312 ad

  2. a member of this bodyguard

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Praetorian Guard Cultural  

  1. In the ancient Roman Empire, the emperor's bodyguard.

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The term is sometimes applied to the inner circle of advisers to a major political figure.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.