- (in France, Italy, etc) the chief administrative officer in a department
- (in France, etc) the head of a police force
- Brit a schoolchild appointed to a position of limited power over his or her fellows
- (in ancient Rome) any of several magistrates or military commanders
- one of two senior masters in a Jesuit school or college (the prefect of studies and the prefect of discipline or first prefect)
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
pre•fect /ˈprifɛkt/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Government, Ancient Historya person in an important position of authority, as a chief administrative official of a department of France.
pre•fect
(prē′fekt),USA pronunciation n.
- Governmenta 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.
- Religion[Rom. Cath. Ch.]
- the dean of a Jesuit school or college.
- a cardinal in charge of a congregation in the Curia Romana.
- British Terms[Chiefly Brit.]a praeposter.
- Latin praefectus overseer, director (noun, nominal use of past participle of praeficere to make prior, i.e., put in charge), equivalent. to prae- pre- + -fectus (combining form of factus, past participle of facere to make, do1); see fact
- Middle English 1300–50
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
prefect /ˈpriːfɛkt/ n
'prefect' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):