The Collaborative International Dictionary
Imprison ment
Imprison ment \Im*pris"on ment\, n. [OE. enprisonment; F. emprisonnement.] The act of imprisoning, or the state of being imprisoned; confinement; restraint.
His sinews waxen weak and raw
Through long imprisonment and hard constraint.
--Spenser.
Every confinement of the person is an imprisonment,
whether it be in a common prison, or in a private
house, or even by foreibly detaining one in the public
streets.
--Blackstone.
False imprisonment. (Law) See under False.
Syn: Incarceration; custody; confinement; durance; restraint.