penitentiary

[ pen-i-ten-shuh-ree ]

noun

, plural pen·i·ten·tia·ries.

1. a place for imprisonment, reformatory discipline, or punishment, especially a prison maintained in the U.S. by a state or the federal government for serious offenders.
2. Roman Catholic Church. a tribunal in the Curia Romana, presided over by a cardinal grand penitentiary, having jurisdiction over certain matters, as penance, confession, dispensation, absolution, and impediments, and dealing with questions of conscience reserved for the Holy See.

adjective

1. (of an offense) punishable by imprisonment in a penitentiary.
2. of, relating to, or intended for imprisonment, reformatory discipline, or punishment.
3. penitential.

penitentiary

/ ˌpɛnɪˈtɛnʃərɪ /

noun

1. (in the US and Canada) a state or federal prison: in Canada, esp a federal prison for offenders convicted of serious crimes Sometimes shortened topen
2. RC Church
   1. a cleric appointed to supervise the administration of the sacrament of penance in a particular area
   2. a priest who has special faculties to absolve particularly grave sins
   3. a cardinal who presides over a tribunal that decides all matters affecting the sacrament of penance
   4. this tribunal itself

adjective

1. See penitential
   another word for penitential
2. (of an offence) punishable by imprisonment in a penitentiary

Word History and Origins

Origin of penitentiary¹

1375–1425; late Middle English penitenciarie priest who administers penance, prison < Medieval Latin pēnitēntiārius of penance. See penitence, -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of penitentiary¹

C15 (meaning also: an officer dealing with penances): from Medieval Latin poenitēntiārius, from Latin paenitēns penitent

Example Sentences

Because there’s no old folks home for drug dealers, just the federal penitentiary.

From Essence.com

It is four federal correctional centers and a state penitentiary that house more than 4,000 inmates, about half the population of the two largest cities—Oxford, the county seat, and Butner, where the prisons are located.

From TruthBeTold.news

As a prisoner, you work to uncover a mystery about the penitentiary.

From Time

Ruffin’s findings led the Justice Department to announce that about 400 inmates, being held at the jail in federal criminal cases, will be transferred to a penitentiary in Pennsylvania.

From Washington Post

I didn’t want him to talk himself into the penitentiary for life.

From The Daily Beast

The Mexican Mafia run their empire from the penitentiary to the streets of LA.

From The Daily Beast

I recently visited Graterford, a maximum-security state penitentiary in Pennsylvania, 30 miles from Philadelphia.

From The Daily Beast

He is now serving a minimum of a two-year sentence in a federal penitentiary.

From The Daily Beast

He served two months at the Mississippi state penitentiary before his conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court.

From The Daily Beast

But under house arrest after 18 months in a federal penitentiary.

From The Daily Beast

There is nothing like it among us at the present day except within the melancholy precincts of the penitentiary.

From Project Gutenberg

He didn't think the penitentiary the place for them, and would not have the convicts contaminated by them.

From Project Gutenberg

In the three months of penitentiary life I have learned many things.

From Project Gutenberg

We are requiring heavy bail and asking for imprisonment in the penitentiary in case of conviction.

From Project Gutenberg

In a remote state of the West there is a respectable and successful farmer, who was once sentenced to the penitentiary for life.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• lockup
• prison

More About Penitentiary

What does penitentiary mean?

A penitentiary is a prison, especially a state or federal prison in the United States or Canada.

Penitentiaries typically house criminals who have committed major crimes. The word is often used in formal contexts. In less formal and slang usage, it is often shortened to pen or the pen, such as in the phrase state pen (a penitentiary run by a state government, as opposed to the federal government). It is sometimes used as an adjective describing related things.

Less commonly, the word is used as the name of a special type of Roman Catholic tribunal.

Example: If convicted, your client is facing a life sentence in a federal penitentiary.

Where does penitentiary come from?

The first records of penitentiary come from around the 1400s. It comes from the Medieval Latin pēnitēntiārius, from Latin paenitēns, meaning “penitent.” Penitent can mean “expressing sorrow or remorse for an offense” or “a person who expresses such remorse.” Penitentiary, penitent, penance, and repent are all related to the Latin verb paenitēre, meaning “to regret” or “to be sorry.”

Many people use the words prison and jail interchangeably, but in most cases a prison houses long-term inmates convicted of major crimes, especially violent crimes such as murder and armed robbery. A jail, on the other hand, typically holds people who have been convicted of minor offenses or who are awaiting trial. Penitentiary almost always refers to prison. It is most often used in the official names of state and federal prisons in the U.S. and Canada.

A more specific and less common use of penitentiary refers to a Roman Catholic tribunal presided over by a cardinal (a high-ranking bishop). Such a body has authority over certain matters like penance and confession.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to penitentiary?

• penitent (noun)
• pen (noun, shortened form)

What are some synonyms for penitentiary?

• prison

What are some words that share a root or word element with penitentiary? 

• penitence
• penance
• repent

What are some words that often get used in discussing penitentiary?

• criminal
• criminal justice
• prisoner
• inmate
• felony
• sentence
• jail

How is penitentiary used in real life?

Penitentiary is typically used in a formal way, especially as the name of state and federal prisons in the U.S. and Canada. In everyday speech, the word prison is much more commonly used.

I rather be broke on the streets than in a penitentiary cell !

— ⚡SHEDRICK DOTSON⚡ (@Iam_SuperB_) March 16, 2020

Watching this documentary on how these six dudes broke out of the penitentiary in Pittsburgh it's crazy how they did it

— Blood Money (@_geezy51) January 28, 2015

Y’all really doing push-ups in your Instagram story like we’re serving a dime in the state penitentiary

— jose? (@dirtandroses) March 21, 2020

 

 

Try using penitentiary!

Are the prisoners in a penitentiary more likely to be serving a short-term sentence or a long-term sentence?

A. short-term
B. long-term