incarcerate
UK /ɪnˈkɑː.səˌɹeɪt/ · US /ɪnˈkɑɹ.səˌɹeɪt/ verb, adjective
Forms incarcerates incarcerating incarcerated encarcerate
- verb (chiefly US, transitive) To lock away; to imprison, especially for breaking the law.
- verb (transitive) To confine; to shut up or enclose; to hem in.
- adjective (obsolete as a participle, archaic as a participial adjective) Incarcerated: jailed, imprisoned, confined, shut in.
Synonyms
imprison jail lag immure put behind bars jug gaol put away remand
Etymology
The adjective is first attested in 1528, the verb in 1575; borrowed from Medieval Latin incarcerātus, perfect passive participle of incarcerō (“to imprison”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from Latin in- (“in”) + carcer (“a prison”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Common participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To imprison; to confine in a jail or priso
- verb To confine; to shut up or inclose; to hem in. Incarcerated hernia (Med.), hernia in which the constriction can not be easily reduced.
- adjective Imprisoned. Dr. H. More.
Etymology [Pref. in- in + L. carceratus, p. p. of carcerare to imprison, fr. carcer prison.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “incarcerate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details