prefecture
/ˈpɹiˌfɛkt͡ʃəɹ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.17 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The jurisdiction of a prefect; the region administered by a prefect, especially as a translation of certain French, Chinese, and Japanese administrative divisions.
Example Sentences
- "The top anti-corruption watchdog in Southwest China’s Yunnan province said on Friday the governor of the burgeoning aluminium hub of Wenshan had been placed under investigation. Zhang Xiulan, who has been governor of Wenshan prefecture since March 2015, is suspected of “grave violations of discipline and the law,” the Yunnan Province Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a statement, without elaborating."
- "In particular, Kumamoto prefecture in southwestern Japan is quickly becoming a hotbed for tech investment from companies including TSMC and Fujifilm Holdings Corp (FUJIF)."
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French préfecture, from Latin praefectūra. Equivalent to prefect + -ure. As an East Asian administrative division, a calque of Chinese 府 (fǔ) and 郡 (jùn), also used to describe 縣 /县 (xian, “county”) and 州 (zhou, “province”) in some eras.
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpɹiˌfɛkt͡ʃəɹ/
- British English: /ˈpɹiːfɛkt͡ʃə/