Gefängnis — meaning in English
German → English · translate English → German instead
English meaning
- jail noun A building where people are held in custody, typically for short sentences or while awaiting trial.
- joint adj Shared or done by two or more people together.
- penitentiary noun A state or federal prison, especially one for people convicted of serious crimes.
- pokey adj Small and cramped.
- prison noun A secure institution where people are held, usually as punishment after being convicted of a serious crime, or while awaiting trial.
Senses
Gefängnis is used for these senses in English:
- carceral (formal, or, literary) Of or pertaining to imprisonment or a prison. [from late 16th c.]
- jail A place or institution for the confinement of persons held against their will in lawful custody or detention, especially (in US usage) a place where people are held for minor offenses or with reference to some future judicial proceeding.
- joint (slang, with the definite article) Prison, jail, or lockup.
- penitentiary Of or relating to the punishment of criminals.
- penitentiary (chiefly, US) A state or federal prison for convicted felons; (broadly) a prison.
- pokey (slang, with "the") prison.
- prison A place or institution where people are held against their will, in the US especially for long-term confinement, as of those convicted of serious crimes or otherwise considered undesirable by the government.
jail — full definition
- noun A building where people are held in custody, typically for short sentences or while awaiting trial.
- verb To put someone in a jail or otherwise deprive them of freedom.
joint — full definition
- adj Shared or done by two or more people together.
- noun A point in the body where two bones meet and can bend, like the knee or elbow.
- noun A large piece of meat cooked whole, often for a Sunday roast.
- noun Slang for a marijuana cigarette.
- noun Slang for an informal or slightly disreputable place, especially a bar or restaurant.