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Definition of precinct - 4 dictionary results

pre⋅cinct

  [pree-singkt]
Use precinct in a Sentence
–noun
1. a district, as of a city, marked out for governmental or administrative purposes, or for police protection.
2. Also called precinct house. the police station in such a district.
3. Also called election district. one of a fixed number of districts, each containing one polling place, into which a city, town, etc., is divided for voting purposes.
4. a space or place of definite or understood limits.
5. Often, precincts. an enclosing boundary or limit.
6. precincts, the parts or regions immediately surrounding a place; environs: the precincts of a town.
7. Chiefly British. the ground immediately surrounding a church, temple, or the like.
8. a walled or otherwise bounded or limited space within which a building or place is situated.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < ML praecinctum, n. use of neut. of L praecinctus, ptp. of praecingere to gird about, surround, equiv. to prae- pre- + cing- (s. of cingere to surround; cf. cinch 1 ) + -tus ptp. suffix

Synonyms:
1. ward. 4. territory. 8. compound.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To precinct
pre·cinct   (prē'sĭngkt')   
n.  
    1. A subdivision or district of a city or town under the jurisdiction of or patrolled by a specific unit of its police force.
    2. The police station situated in and having jurisdiction over such a district.
    3. A place or enclosure marked off by definite limits, such as walls. Often used in the plural: the mysterious precincts of the old monastery.
    4. A boundary: Hunting is not allowed within the precincts of the estate.
  2. An election district of a city or town.
    1. A place or enclosure marked off by definite limits, such as walls. Often used in the plural: the mysterious precincts of the old monastery.
    2. A boundary: Hunting is not allowed within the precincts of the estate.
  4. precincts The neighborhood or surrounding area; the environs.
  5. An area of thought or action; a province or domain. Often used in the plural: "It was in these spacious precincts that Dryden's imagination was most at home" (Mark Van Doren).

[Middle English precincte, a defined district or area, from Medieval Latin praecīnctum, from Latin, neuter past participle of praecingere, to encircle : prae-, pre- + cingere, to gird; see kenk- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Precinct

Pre"cinct\ (?; 277), n. [LL. praecinctum, fr. L. praecingere, praecinctum, to gird about, to encompass; prae before + cingere to gird, surround. See Pre-, and Cincture.]

1. The limit or exterior line encompassing a place; a boundary; a confine; limit of jurisdiction or authority; -- often in the plural; as, the precincts of a state. "The precincts of light." --Milton.

2. A district within certain boundaries; a minor territorial or jurisdictional division; as, an election precinct; a school precinct.

3. A parish or prescribed territory attached to a church, and taxed for its support. [U.S.]

The parish, or precinct, shall proceed to a new choice. --Laws of Massachusetts.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : precinct
Spanish: recinto,
German: der Bezirk,
Japanese: 構内
More Translations »

precinct 
1432, "district defined for purposes of government or representation," from M.L. precinctum "enclosure, boundary line," prop. neut. pp. of L. præcingere "to gird about, surround," from præ- "before" + cingere "to surround, encircle" (see cinch).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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