jail

The word “jail” means a building where people are held in custody, typically for short sentences or while awaiting trial. In plain terms, a place where people are locked up, or the act of locking someone up.

“Jail” is pronounced jayl (/d͡ʒeɪl/ in IPA).

Here is “jail” used in a sentence: “He spent the night in the local jail after the bar fight.”

Words with a similar meaning to “jail” include big house, borstal, bridewell, brig, can and calaboose.

Depending on how it is used, “jail” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “jail” comes from Latin. From Anglo-Norman jaiole, tracing back to Latin cavea, "cage" — the same root that gives us "cage" and "cajole.".

“Jail” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Jail” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a building where people are held in custody, typically for short sentences or while awaiting trial.

A jail holds people short-term — those awaiting trial or serving brief sentences — and is usually run by a local authority. A prison holds people convicted of more serious crimes for longer sentences, and is typically run by a state or national government. The key differences are sentence length and who operates the facility.

People are held in jail after an arrest while awaiting a bail hearing or trial, or after conviction for a minor offence carrying a short sentence. Examples include detention for a misdemeanour, failure to pay fines, or a brief remand. Jail is generally for temporary custody rather than long-term punishment.

Not quite. Being arrested is the act of taking someone into custody; jail is the building where they may then be held. An arrest can lead to a short stay in a holding cell or jail, but people are sometimes released without ever being jailed. Arrest is the event, jail the place.