prefect

American  

[pree-fekt] / ˈpri fɛkt /

Or praefect

noun

• prefects
  plural

1. 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.

2. Roman Catholic Church.

   1. the dean of a Jesuit school or college.

   2. a cardinal in charge of a congregation in the Curia Romana.

3. Chiefly British. a praepostor.

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prefect British  

/ ˌpriːfɛkˈtɔːrɪəl, ˈpriːfɛkt /

noun

1. (in France, Italy, etc) the chief administrative officer in a department

2. (in France, etc) the head of a police force

3. a schoolchild appointed to a position of limited power over his fellows

4. (in ancient Rome) any of several magistrates or military commanders

5. Also called: prefect apostolic.  RC Church an official having jurisdiction over a missionary district that has no ordinary

6. 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 )

7. RC Church a cardinal in charge of a congregation of the Curia

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subprefect
  noun
• underprefect
  noun
• prefectorial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• prefects
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prefect prefects

Strong winds fanned the flames, causing them to spread "faster than a galloping horse", according to regional prefect Simon Babre.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas ordered the "final phase" of the peninsula evacuation early on Friday morning.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Spokesman Andrea Bacchin says delivery riders need solutions from both the companies and the prefect in Milan that will "protect their health without forcing them to lose wages".

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

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

I made my way over to him and announced that he had been caught, whereupon he turned around and I realized that he was a prefect.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

The government ordered prefects across the country to identify and protect the country’s most valuable works.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025

One of Sir Keir Starmer’s ministers joked that around the cabinet table the PM seems a bit like a very committed headmaster gathering his prefects, ensuring they are all following his plans to the letter.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2024

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin sent a directive to local prefects on Thursday, seen by The Associated Press, calling for a further tightening of security around Jewish schools, synagogues and other sites.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 12, 2023

The announcement came after Béchu met virtually with prefects to get a view of the country's overall water situation as the country experiences its driest winter since 1959.

From Reuters ● Mar. 6, 2023

As they ran, they met crowds of students, most wearing traveling cloaks over their pajamas, being shepherded down to the Great Hall by teachers and prefects.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling