prison
[ priz-uh n ]
/ ˈprɪz ən /
noun
a building for the confinement of persons held while awaiting trial, persons sentenced after conviction, etc.
any place of confinement or involuntary restraint.
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Origin of prison
before 1150; Middle English
prison, earlier
prisun < Old French, variant of
preson imprisonment, a prison < Latin
pre(hē)nsiōn- (stem of
prehēnsiō) a seizure, arrest, equivalent to
prehēns(us) (past participle of
prehendere to seize) +
-iōn-
-ion; doublet of
prehension
OTHER WORDS FROM prison
pris·on·like, adjective post·pris·on, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH prison
jail prisonWords nearby prison
Example sentences from the Web for prison
British Dictionary definitions for prison
prison
/ (ˈprɪzən) /
noun
a public building used to house convicted criminals and accused persons remanded in custody and awaiting trial
See also jail, penitentiary, reformatory
any place of confinement or seeming confinement
Word Origin for prison
C12: from Old French
prisun, from Latin
prēnsiō a capturing, from
prehendere to lay hold of