prefecture

noun

pre·​fec·​ture ˈprē-ˌfek-chər 

1

: the office or term of office of a prefect

2

: the official residence of a prefect

3

: the district governed by a prefect

prefectural

ˈprē-ˌfek-chə-rəl 

pri-ˈfek-

adjective

Examples of prefecture in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The low-tech, artisanal mine collapsed Tuesday morning in the Abba region of the Nana-Mambere prefecture, according to Florian Gaguende, one of the surviving miners. — ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026

Now the inn has affiliations with about 30 artisans in Yamanaka and Fukui prefecture, some of whom guests can visit. — Pico Iyer, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2026

The 34 Buddhist temples scattered through the mountainous western part of Japan's Saitama prefecture are revealing something few visitors ever see this year. — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026

Some 170 homes were flooded in the prefecture and more than 300 people took shelter at public facilities as of Friday afternoon, Chiba officials said. — Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing prefecture

• prefecture apostolic

Rhymes for prefecture

• conjecture
• architecture
• lecture

Kids Definition

prefecture

noun

pre·​fec·​ture ˈprē-ˌfek-chər 

1

: the office or term of office of a prefect

2

: the district governed by a prefect

prefectural

prē-ˈfek-chə-rəl 

adjective