Generally speaking, in Roman constitutional law, a citizen not employed by the state, opposite of magistratus (e.g. Cic. Inv. 1,35; Isid. Orig. 9,4,30); in the narrower sense, someone who had not occupied a political office, either ever or in the recent past (Cic. Fam. 8,10,2).
Privati cum imperio - like promagistrates who, strictly speaking, were also privati (Liv. 38,42,10) - were in possession of official powers ( imperium ) granted by the Senate or the people. They were also called proconsul or propraetor [5]. In the 1st cent. BC, a lex populi transferred extraordina…