Etymologically
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correctional

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 15:20. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /kəˈrekʃ(ə)n(ə)l/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English correction + -al.[2][3][4] Etymonline also allows a borrowing from Medieval Latin correctionalis.[4] Correction is from Old French correccion, from Latin correctiō (“amendment, improvement”), a noun from the past participle of corrigō (“to put straight; to reform”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tending to or intended for correction: Etymonline dates it to 1790.[4] The OED's first record is from Gladstone's The State in its Relations with the Church, in 1838,[2] and Dictionary.com dates the word to 1830–40.[3]

Semantic evolution

The general sense "of correction, corrective" has narrowed in modern use to the punishment and rehabilitation of offenders, in phrases such as correctional facility and correctional officer;[5][6] Collins labels this use chiefly American.[5]

Timeline

  • 1790 – intended for correction.[4]
  • 1838 – corrective, in Gladstone.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Concerned with the punishment and rehabilitation of people convicted of crimes: a correctional facility.[5][6]
  2. Of or relating to correction; corrective.[6][2]

Word family

  • correctional facility
  • correctional officer

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  4. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster