solitary confinement

[sol-i-ter-ee kuhn-fahyn-muhnt]

noun

1. the confinement of a prisoner in a cell or other place in which they are completely isolated from others.

solitary confinement

noun

1. isolation imposed on a prisoner, as by confinement in a special cell

Word History and Origins

Origin of solitary confinement¹

First recorded in 1775–85