Usage Note
Préfet is a senior civil servant who represents the French state in a département or région. The role has no direct equivalent in English-speaking countries — the prefect oversees public order, manages state services, and implements government policy locally. The feminine is préfète, increasingly used since the 1990s.
Examples
"Le préfet a signé l'arrêté municipal."
Natural Translation
The prefect signed the municipal order.
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