confinement

C1 Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /kənˈfaɪnmənt/ See IPA manual

Freq #13360

Meanings

1

noun
The state of being kept in a closed space and not allowed to leave.

The prisoner spent a week in solitary confinement.
2

noun
The act of keeping something within fixed limits.

The confinement of the fire to one building saved the rest of the street.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the state of being kept in... imprisonment

2 noun · the act of keeping... restriction

Word family

Forms confinements

Derived forms anticonfinementbioconfinementdeconfinementnanoconfinementnonconfinementpostconfinementpreconfinementreconfinementself-confinementunconfinement

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

solitary confinement
the imprisonment of a person separately from other prisoners

Adjective + noun

Etymology

Borrowed from French confinement. By surface analysis, confine + -ment.

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# confinement

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /kənˈfaɪnmənt/
**Frequency rank:** 13360

## Meanings
1. The state of being kept in a closed space and not allowed to leave.
2. The act of keeping something within fixed limits.

## Examples
- The prisoner spent a week in solitary confinement.
- The confinement of the fire to one building saved the rest of the street.

## Derived Forms
- anticonfinement
- bioconfinement
- deconfinement
- nanoconfinement
- nonconfinement
- postconfinement
- preconfinement
- reconfinement
- self-confinement
- unconfinement

## Etymology
Borrowed from French confinement. By surface analysis, confine + -ment.

## AI Etymology
Confinement is borrowed from French confinement. By surface analysis, confine + -ment. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. In present-day use, it can mean the state of being kept in a closed space and not allowed to leave, or the act of keeping something within fixed limits. Derived formations include anticonfinement, bioconfinement, deconfinement, nanoconfinement, nonconfinement.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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