Origin and history of imprisonment

late 14c., "state of being a prisoner," Old French *captivite or directly from Latin captivitatem (nominative captivitas), from captivus "caught, taken prisoner," from captus, past participle of capere "to take, hold, seize" (from PIE root *kap- "to grasp"). An Old English cognat

"fact of being imprisoned," 1530s, from Medieval Latin incarcerationem (nominative incarceratio), noun of action from past-participle stem of incarcerare "to imprison," from in- "in" (from PIE root *en "in") + carcer "prison, an enclosed space," from Proto-Italic *kar-kr(o)-, whi

Used for persons condemned to perpetual imprisonment or to perish secretly....

drunkard, or criminal" is by 1854, American English, on notion of one who "goes the round" of misdemeanor, arrest, trial, imprisonment...

also round-house, mid-15c., "lockup, place of imprisonment, a guarded building" (a sense now obsolete), from Dutch rondhuis...

late 14c., "a taking, seizure," from Old French capcion "arrest, capture, imprisonment," or directly from Latin captionem...

Meaning "place of refuge" is from c. 1200; that of "fortified place" is from c. 1300; that of "place of imprisonment" is...

late 14c., punishement, in law, "the assessing or inflicting of pain, suffering, loss, confinement, etc. on a person for a crime or offense," from Anglo-French punisement (late 13c.), Old French punissement, from punir (see punish). From early 15c. as "suffering or hardship infli

also a-plenty, "in abundance," by 1829, colloquial when used after the noun, from a- (1) + plenty (n.). Two square feet, or four at most, in one corner of the frame, will give you mustard and cress a plenty for salads, if you take care to make repeated sowings in proper time. [W

c. 1500, "punishment," from Old French penalite and directly from Medieval Latin penalitatem (nominative penalitas), from Latin poenalis "pertaining to punishment" (see penal). Specifically as "the punishment laid out by law or judicial decision for a violation of the law" is by