jail

n. [ OE. jaile, gail, gayhol, OF. gaole, gaiole, jaiole, F. geôle, LL. gabiola, dim. of gabia cage, for L. cavea cavity, cage. See Cage. ] A kind of prison; a building for the confinement of persons held in lawful custody, especially for minor offenses or with reference to some future judicial proceeding. [ Written also gaol. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

This jail I count the house of liberty. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Jail delivery, the release of prisoners from jail, either legally or by violence. --
Jail delivery commission. See under Gaol. --
Jail fever (Med.), typhus fever, or a disease resembling it, generated in jails and other places crowded with people; -- called also hospital fever, and ship fever. --
Jail liberties, or
Jail limits, a space or district around a jail within which an imprisoned debtor was, on certain conditions, allowed to go at large. Abbott. --
Jail lock, a peculiar form of padlock; -- called also Scandinavian lock. [ 1913 Webster ]

A prisoner; one is in prison or who has been confined in prison. [ Slang ] [ PJC ]

n. an escape from jail; as, five prisoners escaped in a coordinated jailbreak.
Syn. -- break, breakout, gaolbreak, prisonbreak, prison-breaking. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. placed in a prison; -- of people.
Syn. -- captive, confined, imprisoned. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ OE. jailer, gailer, OF. geolier, F. geôlier. See Jail. ] The keeper of a jail or prison. [ Written also jailor, gaoler. ]