Etymology of the English word jail
the English word
jailderived from the Old French word
jaiolederived from the Latin word
caveoladerived from the Latin word
cavea (cage, coop, stall; hollow, cavity; roof)
derived from the Latin word
cavus (hollow or cave; hole, cavity, depression; hollow, excavated, hollowed out; sunken; deep, having deep channel)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*keuÉ™-Date
The earliest known usage of jail in English dates from the 13th century.
Derivations in English
jailbird,
jailbait,
jailbreak,
jailhouseUsage
Word found in Modern English
