imprison

Imprison is a verb meaning to place someone in prison or otherwise confine them, depriving them of liberty. It is used to describe the act by which a state or authority deprives a person of freedom, typically as punishment or while awaiting trial, or during a sentence. The related noun is imprisonment, referring to the state or act of being imprisoned.

Etymology and usage: Imprison originates from Old French emprisoner, meaning to put in prison, from prison “a place of confinement.” In English, the term has been used in legal and formal writing for many centuries to describe the act of placing a person under restraint or confinement.

Legal context: Imprisonment is commonly associated with criminal punishment or pre-trial detention. It may take place in a variety of facilities, such as prisons or jails, and can vary in duration depending on jurisdiction and case specifics. Distinctions are often made between imprisonment and related terms such as detention (temporary confinement without a formal sentence) and incarceration (a broader, often formal synonym for confinement in a penal institution).

Figurative and related uses: Beyond its legal sense, imprison can describe the confinement of non-human things or abstract concepts, such as imprisoning ideas or a person’s movements in certain circumstances. It is typically used in neutral, descriptive contexts rather than colloquial or rhetorical senses.

See also: imprisonment, detention, incarceration, prison, jail, confinement.