Word
prefecture
Phoneticspre·fec·ture
US/ˈpɹiˌfɛktʃɝ/
UK/pɹˈiːfɛktʃɐ/
Definitions
01administrative region
n. a large area of a country that has its own local government, similar to a state or a province.
n. a primary subnational administrative division, particularly used as the standard English translation for Japanese 'ken' or French 'préfecture'.
“Kyoto is a famous prefecture in Japan that many tourists visit for its history.”
“The central government allocated additional funding to the northern prefecture to assist with infrastructure repairs after the heavy flooding.”
Usage
Often used with the name of the region, such as 'Osaka Prefecture' or 'the prefecture of police'.
Teaching tip
While 'province' is a general term, 'prefecture' is the specific technical term used when discussing the geography of Japan or the administrative offices of France.
02office or rank
n. the job, rank, or office of a prefect.
n. the office, term of study, or official status held by a prefect.
“He was proud to reach the rank of prefecture during his final year at the academy.”
“The duties associated with the prefecture included overseeing student discipline and organizing formal house events.”
Formal
Usage
In this sense, it refers to the abstract position rather than a physical place.
Real-World Examples
“The fossils in this study were first discovered between 1990 and 1992 in Sobura, Kaizuka City, Osaka Prefecture.” “Record rainfall has killed at least four people and stranded thousands of travellers in Japan’s Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo.” 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/prefecture