precinct, precynct

[Low Lat. præcinc tum a boundary; prop. neut. sing. of præcinct us, pa. par. of præcingo =to inclose, to gird round: præ =before, and cingo = to surround, to gird; Ital. precinto.] 1. The exterior line or boundary inclosing a place; a bound, a limit, a confine (often used in pl.) 2. A portion of space within a certain boundary. "The common vice of these castle-builders is to draw everything within its precincts."-War burton: Divine Legation , bk. iv. § 2. 3. A district within certain boundaries; a minor territorial or jurisdictional division. "The precinct of this house had, before the Reformation, been a sanctuary for criminals."- Macaulay : Hist. Eng ., ch. iii. *pre-cl-os-i-tỹ (c as sh), *pre-cy-os-y-te, s . [Eng. precious : -ity .] 1. Value, preciousne . 2. Something valuable or precious. "The index or forefinger was too naked whereto to commit their preciosities." - Browne: Vulgar Errors, bk. iv., ch. iv.