/pree"singkt/ , n.
1. a district, as of a city, marked out for governmental or administrative purposes, or for police protection.
2. Also called precinct house . the police station in such a district.
3. 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.
4. a space or place of definite or understood limits.
5. Often, precincts . an enclosing boundary or limit.
6. precincts , the parts or regions immediately surrounding a place; environs: the precincts of a town.
7. Chiefly Brit. the ground immediately surrounding a church, temple, or the like.
8. a walled or otherwise bounded or limited space within which a building or place is situated.
[ 1350-1400; ME praecinctum, n. use of neut. of L praecinctus, ptp. of praecingere to gird about, surround, equiv. to prae- PRE- + cing- (s. of cingere to surround; cf. CINCH 1 ) + -tus ptp. suffix ]
Syn. 1. ward. 4. territory. 8. compound.