prison
Definitions
A building where criminals are confined as punishment
监狱
A state of confinement or imprisonment
监禁，囚禁（状态）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom Latin prēnsiō, 'a seizing' — the same stem as prehensus. The word for the ACT of grabbing slid over to mean the PLACE where the grabbed are kept. So prison literally has 'capture' built into its name; it is, etymologically, 'the seizing-place.'
Root prehens still carries 16 more wordsUsage Guide
Like 'school' and 'hospital,' prison usually drops 'the' when you mean the institutional state: be in prison / go to prison / sent to prison (= serving a sentence). Use 'the prison' when you mean the physical building: They drove past the prison. 'In prison' = a convict; 'in the prison' = physically inside the building (could be a visitor).
Example Sentences
- 1.
He spent five years in prison for fraud.
- 2.
She was sent to prison for armed robbery.
- 3.
Several prisoners escaped from the high-security prison.