district / aspergillum
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district
A defined official or administrative district, especially in a church context (e.g., a parish district) or in elections (electoral district).
Jeder Wahlberechtigte ist einem bestimmten Sprengel zugeordnet, in dem er seine Stimme abgibt.
Every eligible voter is assigned to a specific district where they cast their vote.
The word 'Sprengel' is related to the verb 'sprengen', which originally meant 'to sprinkle, to scatter'. This idea of distributing appears in both meanings: an official district is an area over which responsibility is 'distributed', and the holy-water aspergillum is a tool for 'distributing' water.
Der Pfarrer ist für alle Gläubigen in seinem Sprengel verantwortlich.
The pastor is responsible for all the faithful in his parish district.
The meaning of 'Sprengel' is usually very clear from context. If the topic is elections, administration, or the organization of a church, it means the district. If, however, someone is talking about a religious act involving water, it means the instrument.
In unserem Wahlsprengel gibt es über tausend Stimmberechtigte.
There are over a thousand eligible voters in our electoral district.
In the meaning 'official district', 'Sprengel' is a formal term from administrative language. It is often found in compounds such as 'Wahlsprengel' (electoral district) or 'Pfarrsprengel' (parish district).
Bitte gehen Sie in das Wahllokal, das für Ihren Sprengel zuständig ist.
Please go to the polling station responsible for your district.
As an instrument for sprinkling holy water, 'Sprengel' is a technical term from the religious, especially Catholic, context. This word is hardly used in everyday language.
Der Sprengel war kunstvoll aus Silber gefertigt.
The aspergillum was artfully made of silver.
district
'Bezirk' and 'Sprengel' can both mean a defined area with a specific responsibility or jurisdiction. However, 'Bezirk' is much more general and works well for city districts, administrative areas, or regions. 'Sprengel' is used mainly in specific contexts, for example in a church or in elections. Learners may confuse the words because both refer to a kind of administrative district. In everyday language, 'Bezirk' usually sounds more natural; 'Sprengel' is more precise when talking about a 'Pfarrsprengel' (parish district) or 'Wahlsprengel' (electoral district).
Bei der Wahl gehört diese Straße zu einem anderen Sprengel.
In the election, this street belongs to a different district.
Unser Bezirk bekommt nächstes Jahr eine neue Bibliothek.
Our district is getting a new library next year.