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praefectūra, ae (dat. plur. PRAEFECTVREIS, Inscr. Corp. Lat. 206, 83), f. [praefectus], the office of a president or overseer, a presidency, superintendence, prefecture.

  1. I. In gen.: villae, Varr. R. R. 1, 17 fin.; cf. Plaut. Cas. 1, 11 (infra, B. 2. b.): morum, the superintendence of the public morals (a part of the duty of the censor), Suet. Caes. 76: hanc de se praefecturam servo dare, Plin. 28, 5, 14, § 56: equitum Gallorum, the command of the cavalry, Hirt. B. G. 8, 12: alarum, Suet. Aug. 38: urbis, Plin. 7, 14, 12, § 62; Suet. Aug. 37; id. Tib. 42; id. Vesp. 1; Dig. 1, 12, 1 (al. Urbi): praetorio, Aur. Vict. Caes. 9, 11: praefectura domūs Siculā non mitior aulā, Juv. 6, 486.
  2. II. In partic.
    1. A. In milit. lang., the office of commander or governor in the provinces, the government of a country or town (which was conferred by the proconsuls and proprætors), a prefectship, prefecture: praefecturas sumere, Cic. Att. 6, 1, 4; cf.: praefecturam petivit: negavi me cuiquam negotianti dare, id. ib. 5, 21, 10: multorum consulum praetorumque praefecturas delatas sic accepit, ut, etc., Nep. Att. 6, 4.
    2. B. The administration of a province: aliquem ad praefecturam Aegypti provehere, Suet. Aug. 66: Aegypti, id. Ner. 47.
      Hence,
      1. 2. Transf.
        1. a. An Italian city governed by Roman authorities (praefecti) and according to their edicts, a prefecture: praefecturae eae appellabantur in Italiā, in quibus et jus dicebatur et nundinae agebantur, et erat quaedam earum res publica, neque tamen magistratus suos habebant, in quas legibus praefecti mittebantur quotannis qui jus dicerent, etc., Fest. p. 233 Müll.; Cic. Sest. 14, 32; id. Pis. 22, 51; id. Phil. 2, 24, 58: Capua in formam praefecturae redacta, Vell. 2, 44, 4; cf. Liv. 26, 16; Inscr. Orell. 3699.
        2. b. The territory of a prefecture, a district, province, government (anteclass. and post-Aug.): quin ruri es in praefecturā tuā? … abi rus, abi directus tuam in provinciam, Plaut. Cas. 1, 11 and 15: nunc ibo in meam praefecturam, ut jus dicam lardo, id. Capt. 4, 3, 7: Aegyptus dividitur in praefecturas oppidorum, quas nomos vocant, Plin. 5, 9, 9, § 49: proximae praefecturae, Tac. A. 11, 8: praefecturae magis quam imperia, Front. Princ. Hist. med.
    3. C. In the agrimensores, the land allotted to a colony, Sicul. Flacc. Condit. Agr. p. 21 Goes.; Front. Limit. p. 43 ib.; Aggen. ap. Front. p. 56 ib.

prae-fĭcĭo, fēci, fectum, 3, v. a. [facio], to set over any thing (as officer, superintendent, leader, etc.), to place in authority over, place at the head, appoint to the command of.

  1. I. Lit. (freq. and class.; cf.: praepono, praefero): te cum securi caudicali praeficio provinciae, Plaut. Ps. 1, 2, 25: praefeci rure recte qui curet tamen, id. Cas. 1, 1, 17: aliquem pecori, Cic. Planc. 25, 62: certum magistratum alicui procurationi, id. Leg. 2, 26, 66: imperatorem bello, id. Imp. Pomp. 16, 49: tantis rebus, id. ib. 10, 27: legatos legionibus, Caes. B. G. 5, 24: pontifices sacris, Cic. Rep. 2, 14, 26: aliquem sacerdotio Neptuni, Plin. 9, 8, 8, § 27: libertos rationibus, libellis et epistulis, Tac. A. 6, 8: aliquem provinciae, id. ib. 13, 46; 2, 4: aliquem classi, Nep. Milt. 4, 1; Liv. 35, 42 et saep.: lucis Avernis, Verg. A. 6, 118: Juno sacris praefecta maritis, Ov. H. 12, 87: in eo exercitu inimici mei fratrem praefecerat, had given him a command, Cic. Sest. 18, 41.
  2. II. Trop., to set over, etc. (rare): nec locus nec materia invenitur, cui divinationem praeficere possimus, Cic. Div. 2, 4, 12.
    Hence, as subst.: praefectus, i, m., an overseer, director, president, chief, commander, prefect.
    1. A. In gen.: gumnasi praefecto poenas pendere, Plaut. Bacch. 3, 3, 22: villae, Varr. R. R. 1, 17 fin.: tu (censor) es praefectus moribus, Cic. Clu. 46, 129; cf.: praefectus morum, Nep. Hamilc. 3, 2: nec vero mulieribus praefectus praeponatur, Cic. Rep. 4, 6, 16 (Non. 499, 13); cf. Plaut. Aul. 3, 5, 30: cum praefectus custodum quaesisset, etc., Nep. Eum. 11, 1: his utitur quasi praefectis libidinum suarum, Cic. Red. in Sen. 6, 15.
    2. B. In partic., as a title of particular civil or military officers, a president, superintendent, commander, governor, etc.: praefectus aerarii or aerario, a treasurer, Plin. Ep. 3, 4, 2; id. Pan. 92; Gell. 13, 24, 30; Capitol. Gord. 4: annonae, a superintendent of grain or of the markets, Tac. A. 11, 31; Inscr. Orell. 1084; 1186; 1091; 3169: castrorum or castris, an officer who attended to the pitching of the camp and all matters connected therewith, a quartermaster, Vell. 2, 112, 6; 119, 4; 120, 4; Tac. A. 14, 37; 1, 20; cf. Veg. Mil. 2, 10: classis, an admiral, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 34, § 89; Liv. 26, 48; 36, 20; 42; Flor. 3, 7; afterwards also for a captain of a ship, Tac. H. 3, 12; Veg. Mil. 4, 32; Inscr. Orell. 3596; who was formerly called praefectus navis: dextrum cornu praefectos navium ad terram explicare jubet, Liv. 36, 44; Flor. 2, 5: fabrūm, in the army, a superintendent of the military engines, chief engineer, Caes. ap. Cic. Att. 9, 7, C, 2; id. B. C. 1, 24, 4; Nep. Att. 12, 4; Vell. 2, 76, 1; Plin. 36, 6, 7, § 48; Inscr. Orell. 4906; in the free towns and colonies, a superintendent of public works, ib. 516: equitum, a commander of the cavalry, as we say, a colonel or general of cavalry, Hirt. B. G. 8, 12; Vell. 2, 24, 1; called also simply praefectus, Caes. B. G. 1, 39; 3, 7; Cic. Fam. 3, 8, 7; cf. cohortium, Sall. J. 46, 7: legionis, in the time of the emperors, the same that was previously called legatus legionis, a commander of the legion, i. q. our colonel, Tac. H. 1, 82; Suet. Claud. 12; id. Galb. 11; 14; id. Calig. 56; id. Ner. 21; Inscr. Grut. 465, 2; cf. Veg. Mil. 2, 9: praefectus regis or regius, a commander-in-chief, generalissimo, Liv. 36, 11; Sall. J. 46, 5; Nep. Alcib. 5, 2; id. Ages. 2, 3; cf. Flor. 3, 5; 11: praefectus praetorio and praetorii, in the time of the emperors, a commander of the imperial body-guard, pretorian prefect, Tac. A. 1, 24; id. H. 1, 13; 19; Dig. 1, 11 et saep.; in later times, a governor of a province of the Roman empire: praefectus urbi or urbis, governor of the city of Rome, in the times of the republic, appointed only to represent the consul during the latter’s absence; under the emperors, a perpetual office with a particular jurisdiction, Varr. ap. Gell. 14, 7; Tac. A. 6, 10; 11; Plin. 11, 38, 90, § 223; Suet. Aug. 33; Inscr. Orell. 3153 sq.: vigilum or vigilibus, a captain of the watch, Dig. 1, 15, 3; 47, 2, 58; Inscr. Orell. 801; 1088; 1929: Aegypti, the governor of the province of Egypt, Suet. Aug. 18; 66; id. Vesp. 6; Dig. 1, 17; Inscr. Orell. 709; 3651; so, Lydiae, Ioniae, totiusque Phrygiae, Nep. Dat. 2, 5: Alpium, Plin. 10, 48, 68, § 134; Inscr. Grut. 287, 7.