n.
Pronunciation: ˌ pe-n ə - ' ten(t)-sh( ə -)r ē
Function: noun
Inflected Form: 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 nature normally handled only by the bishop b capitalized : a cardinal presiding over a tribunal of the Roman curia concerned with dispensations and indulgences
2 : a public institution in which offenders against the law are confined for detention or punishment specifically : a state or federal prison in the U.S.