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 bcapitalized : a cardinal presiding over a tribunal of the Roman curia concerned with dispensations and indulgences2: 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