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  

/ 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

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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

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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

In Marseille, the prefect banned any protest or other gatherings from noon to 8 p.m.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

In Limoges, a town in central France known for its porcelain, up to 3,000 rioters swarmed the streets, according to Maurice Barate, the local prefect.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

The prefect of Gironde, the French region worst hit by the fires, said Friday morning that while the massive fire was "contained within its perimeter" there remained "persistent active sectors".

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

On Sunday, Sophie Brocas, prefect of the French department of Gironde, said, "I urge tourists not to come," while advising those already there to consider an alternative destination.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Other nights a prefect yells Achtung! and the boys stand at their benches and Bastian the commandant waddles in.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Macron said local prefects and mayors would draft measures to protect shops and civic buildings.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

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

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 new office comes “directly” under the pope, with the assistance of two prefects.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 19, 2022

“And you’re not sitting with the prefects today, either,” said George.

From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling

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