gerrymander

Meanings

1. To divide a geographic area into voting districts in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election.
2. To draw dividing lines for other types of districts in an unintuitive way to favor a particular group or for other perceived gain.
3. To change the franchise or voting system in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election.
4. To deliberately bring in voters of one's own party or displace voters of another party from a voting district in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election.

1. The act of gerrymandering.
2. A voting district skewed by gerrymandering.

1. Obsolete form of gerrymander.

1. Obsolete form of gerrymander.

Etymology

Blend of Gerry + salamander, named after Elbridge Gerry, then governor of Massachusetts. Coined by the editors of the Boston Gazette in an 26 March 1812 article comparing the new electoral district boundary signed into law by Gerry to the shape of the mythological salamander. The original text was likely written by Nathan Hale and Benjamin and John Russell, accompanying a cartoon by Elkanah Tisdale. Despite Gerry's surname beginning with a hard G (/ɡ/), gerrymander is typically pronounced with a soft G (/dʒ/), as a spelling pronunciation.