Penitentiary
/ˌpɛn.ɪˈtɛn.ʃə.ri/noun
A prison, especially one for people serving long sentences.
Did you know?Its root is the same Latin source behind *penitent* and *penance*, so the modern prison term still carries the ancient idea of enforced remorse.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*poi-
“to pay, atone”
Latin
Latin
paenitere
“to regret, cause repentance”
Late Latin
Latin
paenitentia
“repentance, penitence”
Middle English
English
penitencerie
“a place of penance or a religious house for penitents”
16th Century
English
penitentiary
“a place for penance or punishment”
Modern English
English
penitentiary
“a prison, especially a state or federal prison”
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