penitentiary
noun
[ ˌpɛnɪˈtɛnʃ(ə)ri ]
• a prison for people convicted of serious crimes.
• (in the Roman Catholic Church) a priest appointed to administer penance.
Origin:
late Middle English (as a term in ecclesiastical law): from medieval Latin paenitentiarius, from Latin paenitentia ‘repentance’. The North American usage dates from the early 19th century.
