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gerrymanderer

 - 4 dictionary results

ger⋅ry⋅man⋅der

  [jer-i-man-der, ger-]
Use gerrymanderer in a Sentence
–noun
1. U.S. Politics. the dividing of a state, county, etc., into election districts so as to give one political party a majority in many districts while concentrating the voting strength of the other party into as few districts as possible.
–verb (used with object)
2. U.S. Politics. to subject (a state, county, etc.) to a gerrymander.
Origin:
1812, Americanism; after E. Gerry (governor of Massachusetts, whose party redistricted the state in 1812) + (sala)mander, from the fancied resemblance of the map of Essex County, Mass., to this animal, after the redistricting

Related forms:
ger⋅ry⋅man⋅der⋅er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Cultural Dictionary

gerrymander [(jer-ee-man-duhr)]

To change the boundaries of legislative districts to favor one party over another. Typically, the dominant party in a state legislature (which is responsible for drawing the boundaries of congressional districts) will try to concentrate the opposing party's strength in as few districts as possible, while giving itself likely majorities in as many districts as possible.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

gerrymander 
1812, Amer.Eng., from Elbridge Gerry + (sala)mander. Gerry, governor of Massachusetts, was lampooned when his party redistricted the state in a blatant bid to preserve an Antifederalist majority. One Essex County district resembled a salamander, and a newspaper editor dubbed it Gerrymander.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: gerrymander
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: -dered; -der·ing
1 : to divide (a territorial unit) into election districts to give one political party an electoral majority in a large number of districts while concentrating the voting strength of the opposition in as few districts as possible
2 : to divide (an area) into political units to give special advantages to one group <gerrymander a school district>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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