prefecture

• præfecture (archaic)

From Middle French préfecture, from Latin praefectūra. As an East Asian administrative division, a calque of Chinese 府 (fǔ) and 郡 (jùn), also used to describe 縣 (xian, “county”) and 州 (zhou, “province”) in some eras.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹiˌfɛk(t)ʃəɹ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹiːfɛktjʊə/

prefecture (plural prefectures)

1. The office or position of a prefect.
2. The jurisdiction of a prefect; the region administered by a prefect, especially as a translation of certain French, Chinese, and Japanese administrative divisions.

• (Chinese administrative division): jun, fu; chun, foo (obsolete); commandery (some contexts)

• prefectural (adjective)