district

[dis-trikt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR district ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a division of territory, as of a country, state, or county, marked off for administrative, electoral, or other purposes.

a region or locality: the theater district; the Lake District.

British. a subdivision of a county or a town.

the District, the District of Columbia; Washington, D.C.

verb (used with object)

to divide into districts.

Origin of district

1605–15; (< F) < Medieval Latin distrīctus exercise of justice, (area of) jurisdiction, derivative of Latin distringere to stretch out (see distrain), equivalent to di- di-² + strig- (base of stringere to bind, tie) + -tus suffix of verbal action

Related formsin·ter·dis·trict, adjectiveout·dis·trict, nounpre·dis·trict, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for district

sector, commune, neighborhood, locality, parish, region, community, department, precinct, territory, section, parcel, locale, vicinity, turf, ward, quarter, vicinage

Examples from the Web for district

Contemporary Examples of district

So, in an unusual order (PDF) issued on New Years Day, District Judge Robert Hinkle clarified the issue.
The Back Alley, Low Blow-Ridden Fight to Stop Gay Marriage in Florida Is Finally Over
Jay Michaelson
January 5, 2015
In the weeks following the Sept. 9, car bombing at the Iranian base, Iran raided a village in the Pakistani district of Chagai.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan
Umar Farooq
December 29, 2014
In January 2014, a lifelong District of Columbia parks employee, Medric Mills, collapsed while walking with his grown daughter.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans
Philip K. Howard
December 27, 2014
“We do not know where he is,” District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman told reporters.
Hunt for Iraq Vet After Killing Spree
M.L. Nestel
December 16, 2014
Of course this is also very true with district attorneys and police officers.
Cops, CIA Share a Culture of Lawlessness
Cliff Schecter
December 12, 2014

Historical Examples of district

He found the district to the north to be a dreary waste, destitute of food and water.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
It has also passed a model child-labor law for the District of Columbia.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
Copies were also directed to be distributed through the district.
A Sketch of the Life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion
William Dobein James
Do you, Mr. District Attorney, whose business it is to send girls there?
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
But the District Attorney was not inclined to credit the confession.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana

British Dictionary definitions for district

district

noun

an area of land marked off for administrative or other purposes
(as modifier)district nurse

a locality separated by geographical attributes; region

any subdivision of any territory, region, etc

(in England from 1974 and in Wales 1974–96) any of the subdivisions of the nonmetropolitan counties that elects a council responsible for local planning, housing, rates, etcSee also metropolitan district

(in Scotland until 1975) a landward division of a county

(in Scotland 1975–96) any of the subdivisions of the regions that elected a council responsible for environmental health services, housing, etc

any of the 26 areas into which Northern Ireland has been divided since 1973. Elected district councils are responsible for environmental health services, etc

verb

(tr) to divide into districts

Word Origin for district

C17: from Medieval Latin districtus area of jurisdiction, from Latin distringere to stretch out; see distrain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for district

1610s, "territory under the jurisdiction of a lord or officer," from French district (16c.), from Medieval Latin districtus "restraining of offenders, jurisdiction," then under the feudal system "area of jurisdiction," noun use of past participle of Latin distringere "hinder, detain" (see distress). Used vaguely of "any tract of land" from 1712. District attorney attested by 1789, American English.