préfet

Forms

préfet m (plural préfets, feminine préfète)^[1] Old and Middle French prefect; the spelling préfet from the 14th century.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin praefectus (“overseer, governor”), the noun use of the past participle of praeficiō (“to put in charge”), from prae- (“before”) and faciō (“to make”).^[2][5][3][6] The Latin word named the head of a service, an intendant, governor or administrator.^[2] Rey compares prélat, formed in the same way on ferō (“to carry”).^[2] Cognate with Italian prefetto, Spanish prefecto and Old Occitan prefeit.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Quatre Livres des Rois (about 1170) has prefect in the general sense “master, chief”, which went out of use.^[7][2][4]

Semantic evolution

From 1216 the word named the Roman magistrates and high officials who ran the city of Rome or held military commands, and Bloch and Wartburg note that until the 16th century it was used only of them.^[7][2][8] The modern uses appeared in the 17th and 18th centuries: in schools, préfet (1668, prefect in 1622) is the person who supervises pupils' studies and conduct in a religious college, and in Belgium it is the head of an athénée, a sense also used in Congo.^[2][7][9] In the Church it gave préfet des brefs (1690), préfet apostolique (1714) and later préfet de congrégation.^[2]

In 1775 it was proposed as the title of the head of a new financial district of France, and it was used from 1793 of a magistrate of a department.^[7][2] The law of 28 Pluviôse year VIII (17 February 1800) gave each department a préfet, the sense still current, and the same year created the préfet de police and the préfet maritime.^[7][2] The préfet régional dates from 1945.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1170 – Prefect “master, chief” in the Quatre Livres des Rois.^[7]
• 1216 – Angier uses it for a Roman magistrate.^[7][2]
• 1622 – Prefect is used for the supervisor of studies in a college.^[2][10]
• 1668 – Préfet in the school sense.^[7][9]
• 1690 – Préfet des brefs is recorded.^[2]
• 1775 – Préfet du trésor proposed for a financial district.^[7][2]
• 1793 – Used of a magistrate of a department.^[7][10]
• 1800 – The law of 28 Pluviôse year VIII establishes a préfet in each department, and the préfet de police and préfet maritime.^[7][2]
• 1945 – Préfet régional.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Roman history) One of the high magistrates who ran the administration of Rome or a part of the Empire: le préfet du prétoire.^[10][7]
2. (religion) A priest in charge of discipline in certain religious colleges; also the head of a section of the papal administration.^[10][7]
3. In France, the senior official at the head of a département or a region, who represents the central government: a prefect.^[10][11][12]
4. Préfet de police: the head of the police headquarters in Paris and some large cities.^[10][7]
5. Préfet maritime: the flag officer at the head of a naval district.^[10][7]
6. (Belgium) The headmaster of an athénée or a secondary school.^[10][2]

Word family

• sous-préfet
• sous-préfecture
• préfectoral

Related words

• préfecture
• Latin praefectus

Usage notes

For a woman holding the office the Petit Robert gives Madame le Préfet, with la préfète as rarer.^[10]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 293a
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
8. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
9. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
12. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)