Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1200-1300
Language: Old French
Origin: jaiole, from Latin caveola, from cavea 'cage'

jail

1 noun
     
Related topics: Jail and punishment
jail1 also gaol British English [uncountable and countable]
a place where criminals are kept as part of their punishment, or where people who have been charged with a crime are kept before they are judged in a law court [= prison]COLLOCATIONS COLLOCATIONS
in jail go to jail put somebody in jail send somebody to jail be/get thrown in jail (=be put in jail) spend time/3 months/6 years etc in jail release somebody from jail get out of jail jail sentence (= punishment of time in jail) jail term (=amount of time spent in jail)
He's been in jail for three months already.
They're going to jail for embezzlement and fraud.
The government would put him in jail if he stayed in the country.
Drunks were thrown in jail for a few days.
Griffiths spent three days in jail after pushing a policeman.
More than 30 of those arrested were released from jail for lack of evidence.
He's serving a 7-year jail sentence.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
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