tolbooth

tol·booth

noun \ˈtō(l)-ˌbüth, ˈtäl-, ˈtȯl-\

Definition of TOLBOOTH

1

Scottish : a town or market hall

2

Scottish : jail, prison

Examples of TOLBOOTH

1. <Deacon Brodie, thought to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, was publicly hung at the site of the old tolbooth of Edinburgh.>

Origin of TOLBOOTH

Middle English tolbothe, tollbothe tollbooth, town hall, jail

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to TOLBOOTH

Synonyms: bastille, big house [slang], bridewell, brig, calaboose, can, clink [slang], cooler, coop, guardroom, hock, hold, hoosegow, jailhouse, joint [slang], jug, lockup, nick [British slang], pen, penitentiary, pokey [slang], prison, quod [British slang], slam, slammer, stir [slang], stockade, jail [Scottish]

Related Words: bull pen, cage, cell, hole, tank; block, ward; glasshouse [British], guardhouse, hulk(s); concentration camp, gulag, labor camp, prison camp, stalag, work camp; dungeon, keep, oubliette; reformatory, reform school, training school

Near Antonyms: outside

[+]more[-]hide