noun
penitentiary
peh-nih-TEHN-shuh-ree
noun
1
A state or federal prison, especially one for people convicted of serious crimes.
"He was sentenced to ten years in the state penitentiary."
"The penitentiary sits on the edge of town, ringed by high fences."
adj
1
Relating to punishment of criminals or to prisons.
"The state overhauled its penitentiary system after years of overcrowding."
How to Use Penitentiary
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA formal word for prison, usually one for serious offenders.
When to use it
More formal/official-sounding than "prison" or "jail" — common in legal and government contexts.
Word Forms
penitentiaries plural
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He was sentenced to ten years in the state _____.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin pēnitentiārius, "place of penitence" — the word was adopted by Quakers in colonial Pennsylvania to describe a place where offenders could reflect on their wrongdoing.