precinct

precinct
\ \ [15] The notion underlying precinct is of ‘encirclement’ or ‘enclosure’. It comes from the past participle of Latin praecingeregird about, surround’. This was a compound verb formed from the prefix prae- ‘before, around’ and cingereencircle with a belt’ (source of English cincture [16]). From the underlying notion come the twin modern meanings of an ‘area enclosed by walls’ and a ‘delimited district within a city’ (mainly used in American English).
\ \ Cf.CINCTURE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • precinct — pre‧cinct [ˈpriːsɪŋkt] noun [countable] 1. an area of a city with many different shops, where cars are not allowed: • The hotel is within five minutes of the main shopping precinct. 2. an area in a city with its own local government, police force …   Financial and business terms

  • 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • precinct — index bailiwick, circuit, close (enclosed area), department, district, province, region, territory Burton s …   Law dictionary

  • precinct — (n.) c.1400, district defined for purposes of government or representation, from M.L. precinctum enclosure, boundary line, properly neuter pp. of L. praecingere to gird about, surround, from prae before (see PRE (Cf. pre )) + cingere to surround …   Etymology dictionary

  • precinct — [n] subdivision area, community, department, development, district, division, neighborhood, province, quarter, section, tract, ward, zone; concepts 513,835 …   New thesaurus

  • precinct — ► NOUN 1) the area within the walls or boundaries of a place. 2) an enclosed or defined area of ground around a cathedral, church, or college. 3) Brit. a specially designated area in a town, especially one closed to traffic. 4) N. Amer. a… …   English terms dictionary

  • precinct — [prē′siŋkt] n. [ME precincte < ML praecinctum < L praecinctus, pp. of praecingere, to encompass < prae , before (see PRE ) + cingere, to surround, gird (see CINCH)] 1. a) [usually pl.] an enclosure between buildings, walls, etc. b)… …   English World dictionary

  • precinct — noun 1 (BrE) commercial area where cars cannot go ADJECTIVE ▪ shopping ▪ the £1.3 million redevelopment of the shopping precinct ▪ pedestrian ▪ town centre 2 (AmE) police district; a police station …   Collocations dictionary

  • Precinct — A precinct is a space enclosed by the walls or other boundaries of a particular place or building, or by an arbitrary and imaginary line drawn around it. The term has several different uses. It can, for example, refer to a division of a police… …   Wikipedia

  • precinct — [[t]pri͟ːsɪŋkt[/t]] precincts 1) N COUNT A shopping precinct is an area in the centre of a town in which cars are not allowed. [BRIT] The Centre was a pedestrian precinct with a bandstand in the middle. Syn: shopping centre 2) N COUNT: usu ord N… …   English dictionary

  • precinct — UK [ˈpriːˌsɪŋkt] / US [ˈprɪˌsɪŋkt] noun [countable] Word forms precinct : singular precinct plural precincts 1) British a part of a town that has a particular use, especially an area where no cars are allowed a shopping precinct 2) precincts… …   English dictionary

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