Prison definition
Years spent in prison.
Felt his job had been a prison.
Alcatraz, an island in San Francisco Bay where convicted murderers and criminals were kept in cells, was an example of a prison.
In the prison of his own desires.
The cold stone walls of the prison had stood for over a century.
Prison was a harrowing experience for him.
The academy was a prison for many of its students because of its strict teachers.
Origin of prison
- Middle English from Old French alteration (influenced by Old French pris taken) of Latin prēnsiō prēnsiōn- a seizing from prehēnsiō from prehēnsus past participle of prehendere to seize ghend- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Old French prison, from Latin prehensiōnem, accusative singular of prehensiō, from the verb prehendō.
From Wiktionary