district

[dis-trikt]

noun

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

2. a region or locality.

   the theater district; the Lake District.

3. British.,  a subdivision of a county or a town.

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

verb (used with object)

1. to divide into districts.

district

/ ˈdɪstrɪkt /

noun

1. 1. an area of land marked off for administrative or other purposes

   2. ( as modifier )

      district nurse

2. a locality separated by geographical attributes; region

3. any subdivision of any territory, region, etc

4. (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, etc See also metropolitan district

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

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

7. 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

1. (tr) to divide into districts

Other Word Forms

• interdistrict adjective
• outdistrict noun
• predistrict noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of district¹

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; distrain, di- ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of district¹

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

Example Sentences

Five boys, all ages 16 and 17, were charged Friday in connection with the attack, according to the Ventura County district attorney’s office.

From Los Angeles Times

About 47% of those jobs were in congressional districts represented by Republicans, according to Clean Power’s energy project tracker.

From Los Angeles Times

“This matter is under investigation, and the employee has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome,” the district said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

In the same meeting that the alleged embezzlement scheme came to light, the district’s superintendent suddenly resigned.

From Los Angeles Times

SB 79 allows the state to upzone historic districts, paving the way for the demolition of well-preserved Victorian houses, Arts and Crafts bungalows and Spanish Colonial Revival homes.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• commune 
• community 
• department 
• locality 
• neighborhood 
• parish 
• precinct 
• region 
• section 
• sector 
• territory