prisión

prison

noun pree-SYOHN Less Common

Origin: From Latin prensio (seizure).

Also means

imprisonment

Usage Note

Prisión refers to both the institution (the building) and the legal state of imprisonment. Cárcel is the more colloquial word for the physical jail, while prisión is preferred in legal and journalistic registers. En prisión means 'in prison' (without an article, as is standard for institutions in Spanish).

Examples

"Fue condenado a tres años de prisión."

Natural Translation

He was sentenced to three years in prison.

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