Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “prefecture” come from?

Prefecture comes from Middle French préfecture, from Latin praefectura, from Latin praefectus, from Latin praeficio, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to make or place.

prefecture (English): The office or position of a prefect; The...

Definitions

  1. The office or position of a prefect; The...

Ancestry of “prefecture”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchpréfecture—
2Latinpraefectūra—
3Latinpraefectusofficer, prefect, superintendent, official,...
4LatinpraeficioI place in command
5Latinfaciō—
6Latin-toriumnominative neuter singular of -tōrius; accusative...
7Latin-tōrius—
8Latin-tor-er
9Proto-Italic-tōr—
10Proto-Indo-European-tōrDerives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...
11Proto-Indo-European-tor-s—

Words derived from “prefecture”

  • prefectural
  • subprefecture
  • subprefectural
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tor-s →