prisoner English · revision 6859

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1350|origins=fro prisonier}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈpɹɪzənə/, /ˈpɹɪznə/ ''(UK)''; /ˈpɹɪzənɚ/, /ˈpɹɪznɚ/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|fro|prisonier|t=captive, hostage]] (Anglo-Norman prisoner),^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)^(SOED 2002) from [[m|fro|prisoun]] (see [[prison]]) and -ier, as well as Medieval Latin prisonarius.^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ One who is kept in prison or custody: the 14th century in the OED and MWU, the mid-14th century in Etymonline.^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024)^(Etymonline) An earlier prisoner, a jailer, from the mid-13th century (about 1250), did not survive Middle English.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A person captured in war is from about 1350,^(OED 1989) though the phrase ''prisoner of war'' dates from the 1670s.^(Etymonline) The figurative ''one deprived of liberty'' is from the late 14th century (about 1380).^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) The children's game prisoner's base is from the 1590s.^(Etymonline) The logic problem called the ''prisoner's dilemma'' is from 1957.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1250 – a jailer (obsolete).^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1350 – a captive in war.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1380 – figurative use.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1670s – prisoner of war.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1957 – prisoner's dilemma.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A person kept in [[prison]] as a punishment or awaiting trial.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A person taken and held captive, especially in war.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A person or thing restricted or confined by something: ''a prisoner of his past''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[prisoner of war]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[imprison]]

+ * [[prison]]

+ * [[apprehend]]

+ * [[comprehend]]

+ * [[prize]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}