Etymology: < Anglo-Norman purçaint, purceint, purseint, also (feminine) purceinte, purseinte, purcente, etc. precinct, girdle (second half of 12th cent.), probably use as noun of purҫaint (Old French porceint ), past participle of purҫaindre (Old French porceindre ) to gird, encompass (1st half of the 12th cent. in Anglo-Norman; < por- pur- prefix + ceindre to gird (end of the 11th cent.; < classical Latin cingere : see cinct adj.)), after post-classical Latin procinctus procinct n.¹ With Anglo-Norman purçaint compare Old French porçainte , pourçainte , poursainte , pourchainte , Middle French (northern) pourchainte (feminine) enclosed surrounding area, especially of a town (1258 as poursainte ; now regional (Flanders) porchainte ), Old French porceint , Old French and Middle French pourchaint (masculine) girdle (end of 11th cent. in Rashi as porceint ), enclosed surrounding area (13th cent.; now regional (Artois) in sense ‘narrow path’); compare also Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French ceint girdle, bond, swaddling clothes (12th cent.; French †ceint ), Old French ceinte area enclosed by walls (end of the 13th cent. in an apparently isolated use). Compare post-classical Latin porcincta jurisdiction in the area surrounding a religious house (10th cent.). Compare purseynt adj., precinct n., procinct n.¹In the forms purcynct, purcyncte after either post-classical Latin procinctus or precinct n. or procinct n.¹

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman purҫaint and Middle French poursaint, past participle of Anglo-Norman purҫaindre and Middle French pourceindre, poursaindre to encompass (see purseynt n.). Compare purseynt n.With the use in quot. to refer to the ground surrounding a church compare precinct n. 1 and also procinct n.¹