jail (English)

Where does "jail" come from?

The word "jail" traces back to the Latin word "cavea," meaning a cavity or cage. It evolved into the Late Latin "caveola", literally a "small cage", which passed into Old and Middle French before entering Middle English as "gayole." Over time, this term for a small enclosure fully displaced a variety of native Germanic words for prison to become the standard English term we use today.

Full etymology tree

jail (English), 'A place or institution for the confinement of persons held against their will in lawful custody or detention, especially (in US usage) a place where people are held for minor offenses or with reference to some future judicial proceeding.'
- inherited gayole (Middle English), 'jail, prison (place for confining prisoners)'
  - borrowed jaiole (Anglo-Norman)
    - inherited gaiole (Old French), 'alternative form of jaiole'
      - inherited gabiola (Medieval Latin)
        inherited caveola (Latin), 'little cage'
        derived cavea (Latin), 'hollow, cavity'
        derived cavus (Latin), 'hollow, hollowed out, cavernous, concave'
        affix -ola (Latin), 'inflection of -olus:'

Direct ancestors

Updated July 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris