jail
English · Thesaurus
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jail
- /d͡ʒeɪl/
Rhymes with -eɪl
Where it comes from
Inherited from Middle English gayole, borrowed from Anglo-Norman jaiole, from Late Latin caveola, from Latin cavea (“cage”) + -ola (diminutive ending). Doublet of caveola and related to cage. More at cajole.
Fully displaced native Middle English quartern (“prison, jail, cell”), from Old English cweartern (“jail, prison”).
Partially displaced native Middle English lok, from Old English loc (“enclosure, pen; jail, prison”), whence lock; and Middle English carcern, from Old English carcern, from Latin carcer (“prison, jail”).
Compare these Old English words, all meaning “jail”: heaþor, heolstorloca (means also “jail cell”), clūstorloc, dung (also “dungeon”), hlinræced, nirwþ, nīedcleofa, hearmloca, and nearu.
noun jails · gaol
- A place or institution for the confinement of persons held against their will in lawful custody or detention, especially (in US usage) a place where people are held for minor offenses or with reference to some future judicial proceeding. serve time in jail
- Confinement in a jail. He said Robins had not been in trouble with the law before and had no previous convictions. Jail would have an adverse effect on her and her three children as she was the main carer.
- The condition created by the requirement that a horse claimed in a claiming race not be run at another track for some period of time (usually 30 days).
- In dodgeball and related games, the area where players who have been struck by the ball are confined.
- A kind of sandbox for running a guest operating system instance.
Similar: big house, borstal, bridewell, brig, calaboose, can, chokey, choky, clink, correctional facility, correctional institution, crowbar hotel, detention centre, dungeon, gaol, glasshouse, graybar hotel, guardhouse, gulag, hock, hole, honor farm, hoosegow, house of detention, iron house, jail, jailhouse, joint, jug, juvenile hall
verb jails · jailing · jailed · gaol
- To imprison, incarcerate, enjail. It has jailed environmental activists and is planning to limit the power of judicial oversight by handing a state-approved body a monopoly over bringing environmental lawsuits.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: jailhouse, gaol, incarcerate, imprison, put away, remand, immure, lag, clink, jug, juvie, prison, penitentiary, cellblock, imprisonment, inmate
noun
Similar: big house, borstal, bridewell, brig, calaboose, can, chokey, choky, clink, correctional facility, correctional institution, crowbar hotel, detention centre, dungeon, gaol, glasshouse, graybar hotel, guardhouse, gulag, hock, hole, honor farm, hoosegow, house of detention, iron house, jail, jailhouse, joint, jug, juvenile hall
Translations
Every language
noun place for short-term confinement
| Español | cárcel, presidio, penal, trullo, chirona, trena |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 감옥 gamok, 교도소 gyodoso |
| 日本語 | 監獄 kangoku |
| 中文 | 監獄 /监狱 jiānyù |
| हिन्दी | कारागार kārāgār, बन्दीघर bandīghar, जेल jel, क़ैदख़ाना qaidxānā |
| Português | cadeia, cárcere |
| Français | prison, geôle |
| Deutsch | Gefängnis |
| Italiano | carcere, prigione, gattabuia, galera |
| Ελληνικά | φυλακή fylakí, δεσμωτήριο desmotírio |
| Română | închisoare, temniță, pușcărie |
| Русский | тюрьма tjurʹma |
| Tiếng Việt | nhà tù, nhà tạm giam |
| العربية | سِجْن sijn, حَبْس ḥabs |
| עברית | כֶּלֶא kéle, מַאֲסָר maasár |
noun confinement
| Italiano | isolamento |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | φυλάκιση fylákisi |
Talk about this word "jail." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/jail. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. jail. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/jail "jail." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/jail.Cite this
@misc{jail_2026,
title = {jail},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/jail},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
