prison

Pronunciation

• IPA: /pʁi.zɔ̃/^[1]

Forms

prison f (plural prisons)^[1] Old French prisun (Chanson de Roland), prison from about 1155.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French prisun, inherited from Latin prehēnsiōnem (“a seizing; arrest”), from prehendō (“to seize”) (see prendre).^{[3][2][4][5][6]} The word went through a contracted popular form “*prensiōnem”, “*presiōnem”, which gave “preison” in three syllables, then “prison” under the influence of “pris”, the past participle of “prendre”.^[2][4][3] préhension is a learned doublet.^[2][1]

Cognate with Italian prigione, Spanish prisión, Portuguese prisão and Catalan presó.^[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) prisun is a capture, and meiner en sa prisun means to lead away captive.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

By metonymy it named captivity (about 1140, Gaimar), whence jeter en prisun and tenir en prison (1155), and the prisoner himself (about 1140), a sense lost when prisonnier (1176–81) replaced it.^[3][2] The place of detention is recorded about 1210.^[3] In courtly language prison was the lover's service to his lady (about 1165), and Littré quotes Couci's Debonaire prison.^[3][8] The word drove out the older chartre and geôle in the sense “prison”.^[3][4]

Gracieux comme une porte de prison (Oudin, 1640) was ironic, Musset has triste comme la porte d'une prison (1842), and today one says aimable comme une porte de prison.^[3][2]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Prisun, a capture, Chanson de Roland.^[3]
• c. 1135 – Emprisonner.^[2]
• c. 1140 – Captivity; a captive, Gaimar.^[3]
• c. 1165 – The lover's service, Roman de Troie.^[3]
• 1176–81 – Prisonier.^[2]
• c. 1210 – A place of detention.^[3]
• 1640 – Gracieux comme une porte de prison.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. A prison, jail: aller en prison, gardien de prison.^[10][11]
2. Imprisonment as a penalty: deux ans de prison, prison à vie.^[12][8]
3. A place where one is or feels shut in: cette maison est une prison.^[12][8]
4. (figurative, literary) Whatever confines, restrains: la prison du corps.^[2][12]

Word family

• prisonnier
• emprisonner
• emprisonnement

Related words

• prendre
• préhension
• Latin prehēnsiō

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 354a
7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
8. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
10. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
12. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)