penitentiary
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penitentiary
- /ˌpɛnɪˈtɛnʃəɹi/
Where it comes from
From Middle English penitentiary, from Medieval Latin pēnitentiārius (“place of penitence”), from Latin paenitentia (“penitence”), term used by the Quakers in Pennsylvania during the 1790s, describing a place for penitents to dwell upon their sins.
noun penitentiaries
-
A state or federal prison for convicted felons; (loosely) a prison.
For quotations using this term, see Citations:penitentiary.
Similar: pen
- A priest in the Roman Catholic Church who administers the sacrament of penance.
- One who prescribes the rules and measures of penance. The Race of this Warre fell vpon the losse of Vrbin it selfe, which was the Dukes vndoubted Right; Yet in this case, no Penitentiary, (though hee had enioyned him neuer so strait Penance to expiate his first Offence,) would haue counselled him to haue giuen ouer the pursuit of his Right for Vrbin; W
- One who does penance.
- A small building in a monastery, or a part of a church, where penitents confessed. Topics which a priest may not treat , and which bishops declare are unfit for sacramental confession even in penitentiaries, become , with either public or private approval , the subject - matter of platform speeches
- An office of the papal court which examines cases of conscience, confession, absolution from vows, etc., and delivers decisions, dispensations, etc.; run by a cardinal called the Grand Penitentiary who is appointed by the pope.
- An officer in some dioceses since 1215, vested with power from the bishop to absolve in cases reserved to him.
adjective
- Of or relating to penance; penitential. A penitentiary tax.
-
Of or relating to the punishment of criminals.
Penitentiary houses.
Similar: penal, punishmental, penary, penitentiary
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: punitive, punitory, pen, prison, jail, imprisonment, lockup, gaol, prisoner, incarceration, corrections, confinement, detention, custodial, probation, custody
Translations
Every language
noun prison
| Español | penitenciaría |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 교도소 gyodoso |
| 日本語 | 監獄 kangoku |
| Português | penitenciária |
| Français | pénitencier |
| Deutsch | Gefängnis |
| Italiano | penitenziario |
| Ελληνικά | κρατητήριο kratitírio, σωφρονιστήριο sofronistírio |
| Русский | пенитенциа́рий penitɛnciárij, исправи́тельный дом ispravítelʹnyj dom, тюрьма́ tjurʹmá, исправи́тельная коло́ния ispravítelʹnaja kolónija |
| עברית | בֵּית סֹהַר bet sóhar |
adj of or relating to prison
| Français | pénitentiaire |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Gefängnis- |
| Ελληνικά | σωφρονιστικός sofronistikós |
| Русский | пенитенциа́рный тюре́мный penitɛnciárnyj, исправи́тельный ispravítelʹnyj |
| العربية | سِجْنِيّ sijniyy |
Talk about this word "penitentiary." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/penitentiary. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. penitentiary. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/penitentiary "penitentiary." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/penitentiary.Cite this
@misc{penitentiary_2026,
title = {penitentiary},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/penitentiary},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
