Meaning

noun a region marked off for administrative or other purposes

verb regulate housing in; of certain areas of towns

originFrom French district, from Medieval Latin districtus (“a district within which the lord may distrain, also jurisdiction”), from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere (“to draw asunder, compel, distrain”), from dis- (“apart”) + stringere (“to draw tight, strain”). Doublet of Detroit.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0