Editing Prefect (section)

{{short description|Magisterial title}}
{{other uses}}
{{use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2015}}
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 | image1 = Préfet Louis Laugier (Colmar).jpg
 | alt1 = Louis Laugier
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 | image2 = Emmanuel de Olivera-IMG 9053.JPG
 | alt2 = Emmanuel de Olivera
 | footer = In France, a [[Prefect (France)|prefect]] ''(left)'' is the State's representative in a [[Departments of France|department]]. A [[maritime prefect]] ''(right)'' is a military officer who exercises authority at sea over a given area known as an arrondissement. In Paris, the [[Prefecture of Police|police prefect]] exercises special powers under the authority of the [[Minister of the Interior (France)|Minister of the Interior]].
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'''Prefect''' (from the [[Latin]] ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge)<ref>[https://archive.org/details/adamslatingramm00fiskgoog/page/n125 <!-- pg=121 quote=praefectus part of speech. --> Adam's Latin Grammar]</ref> is a [[Magistrate|magisterial]] title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area.

A prefect's office, department, or area of control is called a [[prefecture]], but in various post-[[Roman Empire]] cases there is a prefect without a prefecture or ''vice versa''. The words "prefect" and "prefecture" are also used, more or less conventionally, to render analogous words in other languages, especially [[Romance languages]].