internment

[in-turn-muhnt]

noun

1. an act or instance of interning, or confining a person or ship to prescribed limits during wartime.

   the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

2. the state of being interned; confinement.

Word History and Origins

Origin of internment¹

First recorded in 1865–70; intern ² + -ment

Related Words

• bondage 
• confinement 
• custody 
• imprisonment 
• incarceration 
• slavery