n.
- chiefly Brit. a senior pupil authorized to enforce discipline in a school.
- a chief officer, magistrate, or regional governor in certain countries.
▸a senior magistrate or governor in the ancient Roman world.
Derivative
- prefectoral adj.
- prefectorial adj.
Etymology
ME: from OFr., from L. praefectus, praeficere ‘set in authority over’, from prae ‘before’ + facere ‘make’.