district
[ dis-trikt ]
/ ˈdɪs trɪkt /
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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.
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Origin of district
First recorded in 1605–15; from French, from Medieval Latin distrīctus “exercise of justice, restraining of offenders,” derivative of Latin distringere “to stretch out; detain, occupy,” equivalent to di- suffix of separation + strig- (base of stringere “to bind, tie”) + -tus suffix of verbal action; see distrain, di-2
OTHER WORDS FROM district
in·ter·dis·trict, adjectiveoutdistrict, nounpre·dis·trict, nounWords nearby district
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for district
British Dictionary definitions for district
district
/ (ˈdɪstrɪkt) /
noun
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
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