penitentiary
noun(plural penitentiaries)
(also informal pen)
(both North American English)a prison 监狱 The execution was carried out at the state penitentiary in Fort Madison. 是在麦迪逊堡的州监狱中执行的处决。
Word Originlate Middle English (as a term in ecclesiastical law): from medieval Latin paenitentiarius, from Latin paenitentia ‘repentance’. The current usage dates from the early 19th cent.