prefect

Or prae·fect

[pree-fekt]

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.

prefect

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• subprefect noun
• underprefect noun
• prefectorial adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of prefect¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of prefect¹

C14: from Latin praefectus one put in charge, from praeficere to place in authority over, from prae before + facere to do, make

Example Sentences

A number of town halls in France also flew Palestinian flags on Monday, despite a government order to local prefects to maintain neutrality.

Read more on BBC

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.

Read more on 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".

Read more on 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.

Read more on BBC

The confirmed death toll on Mayotte so far is 35 but, in the immediate aftermath of the cyclone, local prefect François-Xavier Bieuville feared that it would "definitely be several hundred" and could reach thousands.

Read more on BBC