penitentiary

pen-i-ten-tia-ry · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A prison for people convicted of serious crimes, especially a state or federal prison in the US.

  2. 2.

    (historical) A place of reformation for those who had committed offenses against church law.

  3. 3.

    (adjective, archaic) Relating to or expressing penitence or penance.

Forms

plural: penitentiaries

Related words

See also: incarceration, jail, prison
Synonyms: correctional facility, jail, prison

Etymology

From Medieval Latin paenitentiarius "place of penitence," from Latin paenitentia "repentance," from paenitere "to repent."