penitentiary (noun)
1penitentiary — ► NOUN (pl. penitentiaries) 1) (in North America) a prison for people convicted of serious crimes. 2) (in the Roman Catholic Church) a priest appointed to administer penance …
2penitentiary — pen·i·ten·tia·ry /ˌpe nə ten chə rē/ n pl ries: a state or federal prison for the punishment and reformation of convicted felons compare house of correction, house of detention, jail …
3penitentiary — noun (C) a prison, especially in the US: the North Carolina state penitentiary …
4penitentiary — UK [ˌpenɪˈtenʃərɪ] / US noun [countable] Word forms penitentiary : singular penitentiary plural penitentiaries a prison for people who have committed serious crimes a state/federal penitentiary …
5penitentiary — /pɛnəˈtɛnʃəri / (say penuh tenshuhree) noun (plural penitentiaries) 1. Roman Catholic Church a. a cleric appointed by a bishop to administer the sacrament of penance in cases of a kind which would normally be dealt with by the bishop or by the… …
6penitentiary — I. noun (plural ries) Etymology: Middle English penitenciary, from Medieval Latin poenitentiarius, from poenitentia Date: 15th century 1. a. an officer in some Roman Catholic dioceses vested with power from the bishop to deal with cases of a… …
7penitentiary — pen|i|ten|tia|ry [ ,penı tenʃəri ] noun count AMERICAN a prison for people who have committed serious crimes: a state/federal penitentiary …
8penitentiary — 1. noun a) A state or federal prison for convicted felons. b) (Roman Catholic Church) A priest who administers the sacrament of penance. Syn …
9penitentiary — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) n. prison, reformatory. II (Roget s IV) modif. Syn. punitive, disciplinary, refractory; see penal . n. Syn. prison, reformatory, penal institution, pen*; see jail , prison . III (Roget s 3… …
10penitentiary — [ˌpɛnɪ tɛnʃ(ə)ri] noun (plural penitentiaries) 1》 N. Amer. a prison for people convicted of serious crimes. 2》 (in the Roman Catholic Church) a priest appointed to administer penance. ↘an office in the papal court deciding questions relating… …