prefect

American  

[pree-fekt] / ˈpri fɛkt /

Or praefect

noun

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

• prefectorial adjective
• subprefect noun
• underprefect noun

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” ( pre- ) + -fectus (combining form of factus, past participle of facere “to make, do” ( do ¹ ); fact

Example Sentences

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

From The Wall Street Journal

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

He is well known to cardinals because of his high-profile role as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in Latin America which has the important task of selecting and supervising bishops.

From BBC

The judge said that "although the capture of live wild boars in the wild is in principle prohibited, the prefect nevertheless still has the power to authorise it".

From BBC

The prefect said it was likely the island would remain on red alert until Monday evening, since heavy rain was expected to continue even after the storm had passed.

From BBC