jail

jail · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A place for the confinement of people accused or convicted of a crime.

  2. 2.

    To put or keep in jail; to imprison.

Forms

plural: jails

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    jailbird — A person who is or has been in jail
  • •
    jailbreak — An escape from jail
  • •
    jail time — A period of imprisonment

Related words

Antonyms: freedom
See also: gaol, imprison, prison
Synonyms: gaol, penitentiary, prison

Etymology

From Old French jaiole ("cage, prison"), from Vulgar Latin caveola, diminutive of Latin cavea ("cage, enclosure"). The British spelling gaol comes from Norman French gaiole.