prefect
Americannoun
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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.
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Roman Catholic Church.
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the dean of a Jesuit school or college.
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a cardinal in charge of a congregation in the Curia Romana.
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Chiefly British. a praepostor.
noun
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(in France, Italy, etc) the chief administrative officer in a department
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(in France, etc) the head of a police force
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a schoolchild appointed to a position of limited power over his fellows
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(in ancient Rome) any of several magistrates or military commanders
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Also called: prefect apostolic. RC Church an official having jurisdiction over a missionary district that has no ordinary
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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 )
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RC Church a cardinal in charge of a congregation of the Curia
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing prefect
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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Born a Crime
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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.
See Examples For:
"We are reaching a saturation point in hospital facilities," said Paris police prefect Patrice Faure, adding: "the number of hospitalisations keeps increasing."
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
The two men, who were broadcasting live videos from the French coast, were arrested near the northern town of Calais on Sunday evening, said Francois-Xavier Lauch, prefect of Pas-de-Calais.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
At the orphanage, Sánchez was especially fond of the prefect, Francisco Fimbres.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2025
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.
From BBC ● May 8, 2025
The prefect is head of a section which is thirty boys from the same lanes and streets.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
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
One of Sir Keir Starmer’s ministers joked that around the cabinet table the PM seems a bit like a very committed headmaster gathering his prefects, ensuring they are all following his plans to the letter.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2024
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 announcement came after Béchu met virtually with prefects to get a view of the country's overall water situation as the country experiences its driest winter since 1959.
From Reuters ● Mar. 6, 2023
“A study of Hogwarts prefects and their later careers,” Ron read aloud off the back cover.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
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.