Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - district

 I. noun  Usage: often attributive  Etymology: French, from Medieval Latin ~us jurisdiction, ~, from distringere to distrain — more at distrain  Date: 1611  1.  a. a territorial division (as for administrative or electoral purposes)  b. the basic administrative unit for local government in Northern Ireland  2. an area, region, or section with a distinguishing character a shopping ~  II. transitive verb  Date: 1792 to divide or organize into ~s