incarcerate

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incarcerate

/ɪnˈkɑː.səˌɹeɪt/ UK
/ɪnˈkɑɹ.səˌɹeɪt/ US

Where it comes from

The adjective is first attested in 1528, the verb in 1575; borrowed from Medieval Latin incarcerātus, perfect passive participle of incarcerō (“to imprison”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from Latin in- (“in”) + carcer (“a prison”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Common participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

verb incarcerates · incarcerating · incarcerated · encarcerate

US, transitive To lock away; to imprison, especially for breaking the law. Tolokonnikova has also been an effective public speaker even while incarcerated, but she has spoken out on politics and freedom in general rather than prisoners’ rights.
Similar: imprison, jail
transitive To confine; to shut up or enclose; to hem in.

adjective encarcerate

archaic, not comparable, obsolete, as a participial adjective, as a participle Incarcerated: jailed, imprisoned, confined, shut in. Tane and incarcerat, kepit heir an there

Translations

Every language

verb to lock away in prison

Español	encarcelar
日本語	投獄する tōgoku suru
中文	監禁 /监禁 jiānjìn, 禁閉 /禁闭 jìnbì
Português	prender, encarcerar, aprisionar
Français	incarcérer, imprisonner
Deutsch	einsperren
Italiano	incarcerare, imprigionare
Ελληνικά	φυλακίζω fylakízo
Română	încarcera, închide
Русский	заключа́ть в тюрьму́ zaključátʹ v tjurʹmú, заключи́ть в тюрьму́ zaključítʹ v tjurʹmú

verb to confine

Italiano	imprigionare
Ελληνικά	φυλακίζω fylakízo

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MLA

"incarcerate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/incarcerate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

incarcerate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/incarcerate

Chicago

"incarcerate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/incarcerate.

BibTeX

@misc{incarcerate_2026,
  title = {incarcerate},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/incarcerate},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}