Word: gerrymander Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰey- Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeys- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰoysós Proto-Germanic *gaizaz Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- Proto-Indo-European *h₂wl̥h₁-t- Proto-Germanic *wulþǭder.? Proto-Indo-European *welH-der. Proto-Indo-European *wélH-dʰe-tider. Proto-Indo-European *we-wólH-dʰe-ti? Proto-Germanic *waldanąder. Proto-Germanic *waldaz Proto-Germanic *Gaizawaldaz Frankish *Gaiʀawaldbor. Old French Geraldbor. English Gerald ▲ Proto-Germanic *gaizaz Proto-West Germanic *gaiʀ Proto-Indo-European *kret-der.? Proto-Germanic *harduz Proto-Germanic *-jaz Proto-West Germanic *-ī Proto-West Germanic *hard(ī) Frankish *Gaiʀahardbor. Old French Gerartder. Middle English Gerard English Gerard Proto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij- Proto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English Gerry Ancient Greek σαλαμάνδρα (salamándra)bor. Latin salamandra Anglo-Norman salamandrebor. Middle English salamandre English salamander blend English gerrymander 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. Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒɛɹiˌmændə/, /ˈɡɛɹi-/, /ˈd͡ʒɛɹiˌmændəɹ/, [-mɛən-], /ˈd͡ʒeɹiˌmændə/ 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. Labels: derogatory, transitive Example: Prop 50 would implement a newly gerrymandered map that would hold until the next decennial census, in 2030, when an independent commission would again draw the lines. […] [Will] O’Neill isn’t necessarily wrong. Democrats readily concede that they are betraying principles of good governance in trying to gerrymander California. 2. To draw dividing lines for other types of districts in an unintuitive way to favor a particular group or for other perceived gain. Labels: broadly, derogatory, transitive Example: 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. 3. To change the franchise or voting system in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election. Labels: broadly, derogatory, transitive Example: [The Reform Bill's] main purpose will be so to gerrymander the electorate as to give the greatest possible assistance to the Radical party at the next election. Example: But Remainers often picture [Brexit] instead as the upshot of a poorly framed question put to an ill-informed, and underrepresentative segment of the population – even the product of a 'gerrymander'. 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. Labels: Ireland, UK, broadly, derogatory, transitive Example: Westminster City Council has been accused by the District Auditor of using public money to gerrymander marginal wards for the 1990 Borough elections. The strategy of attempting to 'gentrify' eight key wards, selling off council homes and hostels for the homeless to move out potential Labour voters and attract in more Conservative voters, was in conflict with the council's statutory duty to homeless people Example: Fermanagh Council even went so far as to create the new village of Donagh in an attempt to move Catholics out of Newtownbutler, four miles away, so unionists could gerrymander a majority.