prisoun

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Inherited from Old English prisūn, from Anglo-Norman prisun, from Latin prehensiō.[1][2]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /priˈzuːn/, /ˈprizun/, /ˈprizən/

Noun

prisoun (plural prisouns)

  1. prison, jail, dungeon (place where captives are held)
  2. imprisonment, captivity
  3. custody, guardianship
  4. hell, eternal damnation
  5. captive, prisoner

Quotations

  • c. 13th century, Ar ne kuth ich sorghë non, second verse:
    Jesu Crist, sooð God, sooð man,
    loverd, thu rew úpon me!
    Of prisún that ich in am
    bring me ut and makë free.
    Ich and minë feeren sumë –
    God wot ich ne lyghë noht –
    for othrë han misnumë
    been in thys prisun ibroht.
    Jesus Christ, true God, true man,
    Lord, have pity on me!
    From the prison that I am in,
    bring me out and make me free.
    I and some of my companions –
    God knows I do not lie –
    because others have done wrong
    have been brought into this prison.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Descendants

  • English: prison
  • Scots: preeson
  • → Middle Irish: prísún

References

  1. ^ Lutz, Angelika (22 June 2017), “Norse Loans in Middle English and their Influence on Late Medieval London English”, in Anglia, volume 135, number 2, De Gruyter, →DOI, page 327
  2. ^ “prisǒun, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 27 March 2018.

Old French

Noun

prisoun oblique singular, f (oblique plural prisouns, nominative singular prisoun, nominative plural prisouns)

  1. alternative form of prison
    • William fuist aresté et a prisoun del Countour amesné
      William was arrested and taken to the prison of the sheriff
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