I.to set over any thing (as officer, superintendent, leader, etc.), to place in authority over, place at the head, appoint to the command of.
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. —
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.
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.—
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.
