gerrymander

gerrymander
1. verb /dʒ,ˈdʒɛriˌmændə,ˈdʒɛriˌmændɚ/
a) To divide a geographic area into voting districts in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election.

The superintendent helped gerrymander the school district lines in order to keep the children of the wealthy gated community in the better school all the way across town.

b) To draw dividing lines for other types of districts in an unintuitive way to favor a particular group or for other perceived gain.
2. noun /dʒ,ˈdʒɛriˌmændə,ˈdʒɛriˌmændɚ/
a) The act of gerrymandering.

By this iniquitous practice, which is known as the gerrymander, the party in a minority in each State is allowed to get only about one-half or one-quarter of its proper share of representation. <! "gerrymander" is not actually used, but just mentioned here. Can an example be provided that illustrates how to use "gerrymander"?

b) A voting district skewed by gerrymandering.

Any citizen looking at a map of district 12 could immediately tell that it was a gerrymander because of the ridiculous way it cut across 4 counties while carving up neighborhoods in half.


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  • gerrymander — ger·ry·man·der 1 / jer ē ˌman dəralso and originally ger ē / n [Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814) + sala mander; from the shape of an election district formed during Gerry s governorship of Massachusetts] 1: the act or method of gerrymandering 2: a… …   Law dictionary

  • gerrymander — ● gerrymander nom masculin (anglais gerrymander) Découpage électoral destiné à favoriser son auteur. (Le gouverneur américain E. Gerry créa en 1812 une circonscription en forme de salamandre.) …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • gerrymander — 1812 as both a noun and verb, Amer.Eng., from Elbridge Gerry + (sala)mander. Gerry, governor of Massachusetts, was lampooned when his party redistricted the state in a blatant bid to preserve an Antifederalist majority. One Essex County district… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Gerrymander — Ger ry*man der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Gerrymandered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Gerrymandering}.] To divide (a State) into districts for the choice of representatives, in an unnatural and unfair way, with a view to give a political party an advantage over… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gerrymander — meaning ‘to manipulate election districts unfairly’, is originally a US word formed from the name of Elbridge Gerry, governor of Massachusetts in 1812. His name was pronounced with a hard initial g, and the word was at first pronounced likewise,… …   Modern English usage

  • gerrymander — ► VERB ▪ manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favour one party or class. ORIGIN from the name of Governor Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts + SALAMANDER(Cf. ↑salamandrine), from the supposed similarity between a… …   English terms dictionary

  • gerrymander — ☆ gerrymander [jer′ē man΄dər; ] orig. [ ger′i man΄dər ] vt. [satirical coinage after GERRY Elbridge, governor of Mass. when the method was employed (1812) + (SALA)MANDER (the shape of the redistricted Essex County)] 1. to divide (a voting area)… …   English World dictionary

  • gerrymander — ger·ry·man·der (jĕr’ē măn′dər, gĕr’ ) tr.v. ger·ry·man·dered, ger·ry·man·der·ing, ger·ry·man·ders ▸ To divide (a geographic area) into voting districts in a way that gives one party an unfair advantage in elections. n. 1) The act, process, or an… …   Word Histories

  • Gerrymander — Satirische Darstellung der Wahlbezirke Massachusetts aus dem Jahr 1812 Gerrymandering [ˈdʒɛɹɪmændəɹɪŋ], ein Begriff der Politikwissenschaft, ist die absichtliche, dem Stimmgewinn dienende Manipulation der Grenzen von Wahlkreisen bei einem… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • gerrymander — I. noun Etymology: Elbridge Gerry + salamander; from the shape of an election district formed during Gerry s governorship of Mass. Date: 1812 1. the act or method of gerrymandering 2. a district or pattern of districts varying greatly in size or… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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