prefecture
Americannoun
noun
-
the office, position, or area of authority of a prefect
-
the official residence of a prefect in France, Italy, etc
Other Word Forms
- prefectural adjective
- subprefecture noun
Etymology
Origin of prefecture
From the Latin word praefectūra, dating back to 1570–80. See prefect, -ure
Vocabulary lists containing prefecture
East Asia - Middle School
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East Asia - Introductory
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East Asia - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Chloe Jeffries, from the Gold Coast, was riding on a snowmobile with her mother in Hakuba Valley, Nagano prefecture, on Saturday when it overturned, trapping her underneath.
From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026
To find out, the researchers traveled to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park in Nagano prefecture.
From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026
The Chinese vessel was spotted 102 miles from the coast of Japan’s Nagasaki prefecture on Thursday, Japan’s Fisheries Agency said Friday.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
The 22-year-old woman had been using a chairlift at Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Otari, Nagano prefecture, when part of her backpack became caught in the lift mechanism, leaving her suspended in midair.
From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026
Still, a stream of refugees made their way to Yamagata, the prefecture west of Fukushima, where they would sleep on floors in crowded gymnasiums and municipal buildings.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
