Category:Imprisonment

Im*pris"on ment, n. Etym: [OE. enprisonment; F. emprisonnement.]

Defn: The act of imprisoning, or the state of being imprisoned; confinement; restraint. His sinews waxen weak and raw Through long imprisonment and hard constraint. Spenser. Every confinement of the person is an imprisonment, whether it be in a common prison, or in a private house, or even by forcibly detaining one in the public streets. Blackstone. False imprisonment. (Law) See under False.

Syn. -- Incarceration; custody; confinement; durance; restraint.