( BrE also gaol ) / dʒeɪl; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
[ U , C ] a prison :
She spent a year in jail.
He has been released from jail.
a ten-year jail sentence
Britain's overcrowded jails
➡ note at school
■ verb
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] jail sb (for sth) to put sb in prison
SYN imprison :
He was jailed for life for murder.
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : based on Latin cavea . The word came into English in two forms, jaiole from Old French and gayole from Anglo-Norman French gaole (surviving in the spelling gaol ), originally pronounced with a hard g , as in goat .