Where does “prison” come from?
Prison comes from Middle English prisoun, from Anglo-Norman prisun, from Latin prehensio (act of seizing), derived from prehendo (to seize or grasp), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʰed-.
prison (English): A place or institution of confinement, especially...
Definitions
- A place or institution of confinement, especially...
Ancestry of “prison”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | prisoun | prison, jail, dungeon; imprisonment, captivity;... |
| 2 | Old English | prisūn | prison, jail |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | prisun | Alternative form of prison |
| 4 | Old French | prisoun | Alternative form of prison |
| 5 | Latin | prehensiō | an act of seizing, apprehending, arresting, capturing |
| 6 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 7 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 8 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 9 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 10 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 11 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 12 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 13 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |