Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “imprisonment” come from?

Imprisonment comes from Anglo-Norman emprisonement and Old French emprisonnement, meaning the act of putting someone in prison.

imprisonment (English): A confinement in a place, especially a prison or...

Definitions

  1. A confinement in a place, especially a prison or...

Ancestry of “imprisonment”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Anglo-NormanemprisonementAlternative form of emprisonnement
2Old Frenchemprisonnement—

Words derived from “imprisonment”

  • reimprisonment
  • overimprisonment
Every word from Old French emprisonnement →