prefecture
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See also: préfecture
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- præfecture (archaic)
Etymology[edit]
From Middle French préfecture, from Latin praefectūra. As an East Asian administrative division, a calque of Chinese 府 (fǔ) and 郡 (jùn), also used to describe 縣 (xian, “county”) and 州 (zhou, “province”) in some eras.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈpɹiˌfɛk(t)ʃəɹ/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈpɹiːfɛktʃə/, /ˈpɹiːfɛktjʊə/
Noun[edit]
prefecture (plural prefectures)
- The office or position of a prefect.
- The jurisdiction of a prefect; the region administered by a prefect, especially as a translation of certain French, Chinese, and Japanese administrative divisions.
Synonyms[edit]
- (Chinese administrative division): jun, fu; chun, foo (obsolete); commandery (some contexts)
Derived terms[edit]
- prefectural (adjective)
- prefecture-level city
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
The office of a prefect
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The district governed by a prefect
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References[edit]
- “prefecture”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.