Penitentiary meaning
An example of penitentiary used as an adjective is in the phrase "penitentiary ruling," which means a ruling sending someone to prison for punishment.
An example of a penitentiary is a federal prison.
An example of a penitentiary is a judgment session overseen by a cardinal that deals with questions of conscience.
A penitentiary offense.
Origin of penitentiary
- Middle English penitenciarie penance officer, episcopal prison from Medieval Latin pēnitentiāria feminine of pēnitentiārius from Latin paenitentia penitence from paenitēns penitent penitent
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Medieval Latin penitentiaria (“place of penitence"), term used by the Quakers in Pennsylvania during the 1790s, describing a place for penitents to dwell upon their sins.
From Wiktionary