jail

Where does the word "jail" come from? It comes from Vulgar Latin caveola, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Jail’s story begins in Vulgar Latin: caveola meant “little cage.” A diminutive of 'cavea', cage or hollow. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as gaiole. Norman French had a competing form 'gaole', which gave British 'gaol'. It reached English by 1200s as jail. English kept both spellings for centuries, both pronounced 'jail'. Today, jail means a place for holding people accused or convicted of crimes.

1. Stage 1 · Vulgar Latin · ancient caveola "little cage", a diminutive of 'cavea', cage or hollow.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval gaiole "cage, prison", Norman French had a competing form 'gaole', which gave British 'gaol'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s jail "a prison", English kept both spellings for centuries, both pronounced 'jail'.