ˈprēˌsiŋ(k)t, chiefly archaic ̷ ̷ˈ ̷ ̷ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English precincte, from Medieval Latin praecinctum, from Latin, neuter of praecinctus, past participle of praecingere to gird about, encircle, from prae- pre- + cingere to gird — more at cincture
1. : a part of a territory (as a city) having definite bounds or functions and often established for administrative purposes : district
a school precinct
a bold municipal experiment in planning a whole business precinct of offices and shops — Lewis Mumford
as
a. : society 3b(1)
b. : one in colonial Massachusetts having a political status and powers partially separate from its parent town and usually being eventually incorporated as a separate town
c. : a subdivision of a county, town, city, or ward for election purposes — called also election district
d. : a division of a city for police control
2.
a. : an enclosure bounded by the walls or other limits of a building or place or by an imaginary line around it
the precinct of the fortification — J.A.Davison
demand … for the admission of females to the club precincts — F.L.Allen
b. : a sphere of thought, action, or influence : domain
an attitude common in the precincts of industry
c. : a space within the grith of a house or borough where one is exempt from arrest in the customary law of the Anglo-Saxons and some other Teutons
3. : the region immediately surrounding a place : environs — usually used in plural
the precincts of the inn — Thomas Hardy
4. : a surrounding or enclosing line or surface : bound — usually used in plural
a ruined tower within the precincts of the squire's grounds — T.L.Peacock