Nearby Words
noun
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.
a.
the dean of a Jesuit school or college.
b.
a cardinal in charge of a congregation in the Curia Romana.
3.
Chiefly British. a praeposter.
Also, praefect.
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English < Latin praefectus overseer, director (noun 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
1300–50; Middle English < Latin praefectus overseer, director (noun 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
Related forms
sub·pre·fect, noun
un·der·pre·fect, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Prefects
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
prefect
c.1350, from O.Fr. prefect (12c.), from L. præfectus "public overseer, director," prop. pp. of præficere "to put in front, to set over, put in authority," from præ- "in front, before" + root of facere (pp. factus) "to perform" (see factitious). Spelling
EXPANDrestored from M.E. prefet. Meaning "administrative head of the Paris police" is from 1827; meaning "senior pupil designated to keep order in an Eng. school" is from 1865. Prefecture "administrative district of a prefect" is recorded from 1577.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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