GERRYMANDER


Meaning of GERRYMANDER in English

— gerrymanderer , n.

/jer"i man'deuhr, ger"-/ , n.

1. U.S. Politics. the dividing of a state, county, etc., into election districts so as to give one political party a majority in many districts while concentrating the voting strength of the other party into as few districts as possible.

v.t.

2. U.S. Politics. to subject (a state, county, etc.) to a gerrymander.

[ 1812, Amer.; after E. GERRY (governor of Massachusetts, whose party redistricted the state in 1812) + ( sala ) mander, from the fancied resemblance of the map of Essex County, Mass., to this animal, after the redistricting ]

Random House Webster's Unabridged English dictionary.      Полный английский словарь Вебстер - Random House .