- Praepostor
Praepostor (sometimes spelt Praepositor) is now used chiefly at English
independent school s, such as Rugby and Uppingham, and at other schools such as the formerDerby School which began asgrammar school s for the teaching ofLatin grammar. It is the equivalent ofprefect . The word originally referred to a monasticprior and is lateLatin of theMiddle Ages , derived from classical Latin "praepositus", "placed before".The use of "praepostor" in the context of a school is derived from the practice of using older children to lead or control younger children. This originally involved both leading in lessons and keeping general discipline, but latterly it involved only discipline.
Children helping to lead classes were also called
monitor s, and the terms "praepostor" and "monitor" are roughly equivalent to "prefect" and "sub-prefect" in many other English schools.References
*"Chambers 20th Century Dictionary" (W. & R. Chambers Ltd, 2004)
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