gaol
/d͡ʒeɪl/ noun, verb
Also a form of jail
Forms gaols gaoling gaoled
Synonyms
jail jailhouse clink slammer poky pokey imprison incarcerate lag immure put behind bars jug put away remand
Etymology
From Middle English gayole, gaiol, gaylle, gaille, gayle, gaile, via Old French gaiole, gayolle, gaole, from Medieval Latin gabiola, for Late Latin caveola, a diminutive of Latin cavea (“cavity, coop, cage”). See also cage.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A place of confinement, especially for minor offenses or provisional imprisonment; a jail. [Preferably, and in the United States usually, written jail.] Commission of general gaol delivery, an authority conferred upon judges and others included in it, for trying and delivering every prisoner in jail when the judges, upon their circuit, arrive at the place for holding court, and for discharging any whom the grand jury fail to indict. [Eng.] -- Gaol delivery. (Law) See Jail delivery, under Jail.
Etymology [See Jail.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “gaol”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details