detention
Pronunciation: /dɪˈtɛnʃn̩/
The English word “detention” has 4 meanings listed here.
noun
- The act of detaining or the state of being detained; hindrance.
- Confinement of a prisoner awaiting trial.
- A punishment given to a student for a minor infraction, typically requiring the student to report to a designated room during recess or outside of school hours to work on homework or perform busywork.
- The bare physical control without the mental element of intention required for possession.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French détention, from Latin detentio, detentionem. Equivalent to detain + -tion.
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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.