penal

penal; criminal

adjective peh-NAHL Less Common

Origin: From Latin poenalis, 'of punishment'.

Also means

penalty (kick)

Usage Note

Penal as an adjective modifies legal nouns: código penal (criminal code), sistema penal (penal system). As a masculine noun (el penal) it means a penalty kick in football — the standard term in most of Latin America, while Spain more often uses penalti (from English). A tiro penal is a penalty shot.

Examples

"El árbitro señaló un penal en el último minuto."

Natural Translation

The referee awarded a penalty in the last minute.

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