Main Entry: ¹pen·i·ten·tia·ry

Pronunciation: \ˌpe-nə-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)rē\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural pen·i·ten·tia·ries

Etymology: Middle English penitenciary, from Medieval Latin poenitentiarius, from poenitentia

Date: 15th century

1 a : an officer in some Roman Catholic dioceses vested with power from the bishop to deal with cases of a nature normally handled only by the bishop b capitalized : a cardinal presiding over a tribunal of the Roman curia concerned with dispensations and indulgences
2 : a public institution in which offenders against the law are confined for detention or punishment; specifically : a state or federal prison in the United States