The word prefect can refer to any of a number of types of official, including:
in Latin, praefectus: a high-ranking military or civil official in the Roman Empire; the title now attaches to the heads of some departments of the Roman Curia, who are traditionally Cardinals, and if they are not are titled Pro-Prefect.
in the context of schools, a prefect is a pupil who has been given authority over other pupils in the school, such as a hall monitor or safety patrol . In Britishpublic schools, prefects, usually sixth formers, have considerable power and effectively run the school outside the classroom. Once they were even allowed to administer corporal punishment. They usually answer to a senior prefect known as the Head of School (colloquially, Head Boy or Head Girl). This system appears prominently in Harry Potter.
in France, a prefect (préfet) is the State's representative in a région (thus called préfet de région) or département. His agency is called the préfecture. Sub-prefects (sous-préfets, sous-préfecture) operate in the arrondissementsThe 100 French departements are divided into 342 arrondissements . The capital of an arrondissement is the sous-prefecture''. Arrondissements are further divided into cantons and communes. The cities of Paris, Lyon and Marseille are also divided into arro under his responsibility.
See also
Ford PrefectFord Prefect is: a model of car see Ford Prefect (car) a character in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy named after the car see Ford Prefect (character).
prefectureThe term prefecture has been used to denote a self-governing body or area since the time of Constantine I, who divided the Roman Empire into 4 districts (each divided into dioceses). Much like a state or city, these were largely self-governed; however eac
