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.
aspergillum
An instrument, usually a brush or sprinkler, used to sprinkle holy water during religious ceremonies.
Der Priester tauchte den Sprengel in das Weihwasserbecken.
The priest dipped the aspergillum into the holy water basin.
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 generally refers to an administrative area. Sprengel is also possible, but is used especially for church districts and elections. When referring to an ordinary administrative unit, Bezirk is usually the better choice; for a parish or election, Sprengel is the more appropriate term.
Für die Wahl wurde das Gebiet in mehrere Wahlsprengel eingeteilt.
For the election, the area was divided into several electoral districts.
Die Stadt teilt das Gebiet für die Verwaltung in mehrere Bezirke ein.
The city divides the area into several districts for administrative purposes.
