precinct

[ pree-singkt ]

/ ˈpri sɪŋkt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR precinct ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a district, as of a city, marked out for governmental or administrative purposes, or for police protection.

Also called precinct house. the police station in such a district.

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.

a space or place of definite or understood limits.

Often precincts. an enclosing boundary or limit.

precincts, the parts or regions immediately surrounding a place; environs: the precincts of a town.

Chiefly British. the ground immediately surrounding a church, temple, or the like.

a walled or otherwise bounded or limited space within which a building or place is situated.

Nearby words

preceramic, precess, precession, precession of the equinoxes, precieuse, precinct, precincts, preciosity, precious, precious coral, precious few

Origin of precinct

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin praecinctum, noun use of neuter of Latin praecinctus, past participle of praecingere to gird about, surround, equivalent to prae- pre- + cing- (stem of cingere to surround; cf. cinch¹) + -tus past participle suffix

SYNONYMS FOR precinct

1 ward.

4 territory.

8 compound.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR precinct ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Examples from the Web for precinct

Buses filled with cops from the 84th Precinct, where Liu had worked.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss|Michael Daly|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In an effort to gain early attention, he focused his attention on the Iowa precinct caucuses, which had never mattered much.
The World’s Toughest Political Quiz|Jeff Greenfield|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bratton now announced that he was appointing Ramos an honorary chaplain at the 84th Precinct where he was assigned.
Choking Back Tears, Thousands of Cops Honor Fallen Officer Ramos|Michael Daly|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ballinger was at first speechless when asked about the 75 Precinct reception.
Protesters Demand Justice For Gurley As Gap Grows Between Cops and NYC|M.L. Nestel|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

His most recent assignment was the 84th Precinct, at the Brooklyn end of the Brooklyn Bridge.
In The Shadow of Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He speaks next of a precinct with various , and among them the face of the demon of unmixed wine, Cratus.
The American Journal of Archaeology, 1893-1|Various
There were other buildings, however, belonging to the precinct of the lower temple, as is shown by the remains today.
A Study Of The Topography And Municipal History Of Praeneste|Ralph Van Deman Magoffin
Baltimore wrote to ask (p. 230) for a precinct, pleading the king's promise already made that he might choose a part of Virginia.
The Beginners of a Nation|Edward Eggleston.
He pulled up to shout a report through the big Marspeaker as they passed the old building Murdoch had used as a precinct house.
Police Your Planet|Lester del Rey
In the garden wall there is a small round tower, just like those in the precinct wall at St. Andrews.
In the Wrong Paradise|Andrew Lang

British Dictionary definitions for precinct

precinct

/ (ˈpriːsɪŋkt) /

noun

an enclosed area or building marked by a fixed boundary such as a wall
such a boundary

an area in a town, often closed to traffic, that is designed or reserved for a particular purposea shopping precinct; pedestrian precinct

a district of a city for administrative or police purposes
the police responsible for such a district

US a polling or electoral district

Word Origin for precinct

C15: from Medieval Latin praecinctum (something) surrounded, from Latin praecingere to gird around, from prae before, around + cingere to gird

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 precinct

precinct

c.1400, prasaynt (mid-15c. as precincte), "district defined for purposes of government or representation," from Medieval Latin precinctum "enclosure, boundary line," noun use of neuter past participle of Latin praecingere "to gird about, surround," from prae- "before" (see pre-) + cingere "to surround, encircle" (see cinch (v.)).

precinct

noun

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Origin of precinct

Examples from the Web for precinct

British Dictionary definitions for precinct

precinct

noun

Word Origin for precinct

Word Origin and History for precinct

precinct