prefect
Americannoun
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a person appointed to any of various positions of command, authority, or superintendence, as a chief magistrate in ancient Rome or the chief administrative official of a department of France or Italy.
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Roman Catholic Church.
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the dean of a Jesuit school or college.
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a cardinal in charge of a congregation in the Curia Romana.
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Chiefly British. a praepostor.
noun
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(in France, Italy, etc) the chief administrative officer in a department
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(in France, etc) the head of a police force
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a schoolchild appointed to a position of limited power over his fellows
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(in ancient Rome) any of several magistrates or military commanders
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Also called: prefect apostolic. RC Church an official having jurisdiction over a missionary district that has no ordinary
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RC Church one of two senior masters in a Jesuit school or college (the prefect of studies and the prefect of discipline or first prefect )
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RC Church a cardinal in charge of a congregation of the Curia
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of prefect
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin praefectus “overseer, director” (noun use of past participle of praeficere “to make prior,” i.e., “put in charge”), equivalent to prae- “before, prior to” ( see pre-) + -fectus (combining form of factus, past participle of facere “to make, do” ( see do 1); see fact
Explanation
A prefect is a chief officer or magistrate, originally in ancient Rome. Like a mayor or governor, a prefect is someone powerful: a chief officer or chief magistrate. In ancient Rome, a prefect was not only in charge of a city or province but of the military too, just as the United States President is the military commander-in-chief too. The term prefect is a little old-fashioned, but there are still prefects around today.
Vocabulary lists containing prefect
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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Born a Crime
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The prefect of the province, Salvatore Angieri, said the decision was made following requests from bodies including the local Jewish community.
From Barron's • May 31, 2026
At the orphanage, Sánchez was especially fond of the prefect, Francisco Fimbres.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2025
But in Douala, prior to the reported clashes, an AFP journalist observed several dozen people gathered near the airport, defying the ban on demonstrations ordered by the department's prefect.
From Barron's • Oct. 27, 2025
Mayotte's prefect previously told local media the death toll could rise significantly once the damage was fully assessed, warning it would "definitely be several hundred" and could reach thousands.
From BBC • Dec. 22, 2024
His immediate reaction was that it would be worth becoming a prefect just to be able to use this bathroom..
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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.
