penal

[ peen-l ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or involving punishment, as for crimes or offenses.
2. prescribing punishment:

   penal laws.

3. constituting punishment:

   He survived the years of penal hardship.

4. used as a place of confinement and punishment:

   a penal colony.

5. subject to or incurring punishment:

   a penal offense.

6. payable or forfeitable as a penalty:

   a penal sum.

penal

/ ˈpiːnəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, constituting, or prescribing punishment
2. payable as a penalty

   a penal sum

3. used or designated as a place of punishment

   a penal institution

Derived Forms

• ˈpenally, adverb

Other Words From

• pe·nal·i·ty [pi-, nal, -i-tee], noun
• penal·ly adverb
• non·penal adjective
• un·penal adjective
• un·penal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of penal¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin poenālis, equivalent to poen ( a ) penalty (< Greek poinḗ fine) + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of penal¹

C15: from Late Latin poenālis concerning punishment, from poena penalty

Example Sentences

“She’s been sent to a penal colony for five-and-a-half years!”

From BBC

We know, from analysing the dog tags of convicts who died in Ukraine and payments made to their families, that Wagner recruited nearly 50,000 inmates from penal colonies, and at one point were losing up to 200 in action every day.

From BBC

He died in February in a brutal penal colony in the Arctic Circle.

From BBC

These included freezing the assets of six prison bosses who ran the Arctic Circle penal colony and other sanctions on judges involved in criminal proceedings against Navalny.

From BBC

A man who was detained in Russia after his daughter drew an anti-war picture - in a case that generated global headlines - has been released from a penal colony.

From BBC

Related Words

• punitive