prefect
or prae·fect
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.
Roman Catholic Church.
the dean of a Jesuit school or college.
a cardinal in charge of a congregation in the Curia Romana.
Chiefly British. a praepostor.
Origin of prefect
1Other words from prefect
- sub·pre·fect, noun
- un·der·pre·fect, noun
Words that may be confused with prefect
- perfect, prefect
Words Nearby prefect
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use prefect in a sentence
Rich and smooth with a subtly bitter flavor, Guinness is a prefect drinking beer—and baking beer.
She was intimate with a prefect of Orne, who was the natural father of Emile Blondet.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois ChristopheHe was chosen a prefect, and he married the wealthy widow of Comte de Montcornet, who offered him her hand when she became free.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois ChristopheWith six of his companions he was brought before the prefect for refusing obedience to the imperial decree.
The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry WithrowShe would probably have favored him, had he not been made prefect and left the city.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
But one day the prefect Agricola instituted a chase, and his party discovered the holy bishop and brought him before their master.
Mary, Help of Christians | Various
British Dictionary definitions for prefect
/ (ˈpriːfɛkt) /
(in France, Italy, etc) the chief administrative officer in a department
(in France, etc) the head of a police force
British a schoolchild appointed to a position of limited power over his fellows
(in ancient Rome) any of several magistrates or military commanders
Also called: prefect apostolic RC Church an official having jurisdiction over a missionary district that has no ordinary
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)
RC Church a cardinal in charge of a congregation of the Curia
Origin of prefect
1- Also (for senses 4–7): praefect
Derived forms of prefect
- prefectorial (ˌpriːfɛkˈtɔːrɪəl), adjective
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
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