Wiktionary

prison

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English prisoun, prison, a borrowing from Old French prison, from Latin prehensiōnem, accusative singular of prehensiō, from the verb prehendō. Doublet of prehension.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈpɹɪzən/, [pʰɹ̠̊ɪzn̩]
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪzən

Noun

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prison (countable and uncountable, plural prisons)

  2. A place or institution where people are held against their will, in the US especially for long-term confinement, as of those convicted of serious crimes or otherwise considered undesirable by the government.
    Synonyms: bridewell, big house; see also Thesaurus:prison
    Hypernyms: correctional facility, correctional institution
    Hyponyms: panopticon, dungeon
    Coordinate terms: gaol, jail, slammer, hoosegow
    The cold stone walls of the prison had stood for over a century.
  3. (uncountable) Confinement in prison.
    Synonym: imprisonment
    Prison was a harrowing experience for him.
  4. (colloquial, figurative) Any restrictive environment, such as a harsh academy or home.
    The academy was a prison for many of its students because of its strict teachers.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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prison (third-person singular simple present prisons, present participle prisoning, simple past and past participle prisoned)

  1. (transitive) To imprison.

Translations

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Further reading

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  • “prison”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

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French

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Etymology

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Inherited from Old French prison, inherited from Latin prehēnsiōnem, from prehendō. Doublet of préhension.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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prison f (plural prisons)

  1. prison
    Synonyms: emprisonnement, taule, geôle, enclos

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Haitian Creole

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Etymology

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From French prison (“prison”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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prison

  1. prison

Norman

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Etymology

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From Old French prison, from Latin prehensiō, prehensiōnem (“seizing, apprehending, arresting, capturing”).

Noun

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prison f (plural prisons)

  1. (Jersey) prison
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Old French

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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    From Latin prehensiō, prehensiōnem, from prehendō.

    Noun

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    prison oblique singular, f (oblique plural prisons, nominative singular prison, nominative plural prisons)

    1. prison
      • c. 1200, Aucassin et Nicolette:
        Por vos sui en prison mis
        dans ce celier sousterin
        For you, I have been put in this prison
        in this underground cellar

    Noun

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    prison oblique singular, m (oblique plural prisons, nominative singular prisons, nominative plural prison)

    1. prisoner

    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    Old Galician-Portuguese

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    Alternative forms

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    Etymology

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      Borrowed from Old French prison, from Latin prehēnsiō, from prehendō + -tiō.

      Noun

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      prison f (plural *prisones)

      1. prison (place of long-term confinement)
        Synonym: cadea

      Descendants

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      References

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      Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=prison&oldid=83102245"
        NODES
      Note 1