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

Among the allegations in the Guardian are that Farage joked about gas chambers and put another pupil in detention, when he was a prefect, for the colour of their skin.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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