▪ I. imprison, v.
(ɪmˈprɪz(ə)n)
Forms: α. 3–4 enprisone, 4 enprisounne, -presone, 5 -prisoun, -prysone, emprisone, -oun, -presoun, 6 enprison, -pryson, 6 emprison. β. 5– imprison, (5–6 in-, 6 impryson, ympreson).
[ME., a. OF. en-, emprisoner (12th c. in Hatz.-Darm.), mod.F. emprisonner, f. en-, in- (in-2) + prison prison: cf. Pr. empreisonar, It. imprigionare.]
1. trans. To put into prison, to confine in a prison or other place of confinement; to detain in custody, to keep in close confinement; to incarcerate.
| α 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 9521 Muche robberie me dude aboute in euerich toun, And bounde men & enprisonede, vor te hii finede raunson. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 1181 Enprisone hem her wiþ-inne þy tours, & so þer let hem lye. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) vi. 19 Guytoga..empresound him in þe castell. Ibid. x. 40 He was emprisouned in many placez. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 376 He did emprison them in dyverse prisons, commaundyng the jaylours to kepe them streyt in Irons. 1574 tr. Littleton's Tenures 43 a, He maye enprison his villaine. |
| β c 1450 R. Gloucester's Chron. (1724) 464 note (MS. Coll. Arms) The Kynge..toke this Geffray, and imprisoned him. 1513 Bradshaw St. Werburge i. 1599 And how into Egypt yonge Ioseph was solde, There was inprysoned by a false coniectour. 1522 More De Quat. Noviss. Wks. 84/1 In worse case be we, than those y{supt} be taken & imprisoned for theft. 1611 Bible Acts xxii. 19 Lord, they know that I imprisoned [Tindale presoned]..them that beleeued on thee. 1771 Junius Lett. xliv. 236 They have no legal authority to imprison any man. 1845 S. Austin Ranke's Hist. Ref. III. 621 They imprison men and women, and make inquisition into their faith. |
b. In more general sense: To confine.
| c 1586 C'tess Pembroke Ps. lxxi. iv, Since imprison'd in my mother Thou me freed'st. 1610 Shakes. Temp. i. ii. 278 She did confine thee..Into a clouen Pyne, within which rift Imprison'd, thou didst painefully remaine A dozen yeeres. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxi. 107 All living creatures, whilst they are imprisoned..with walls, or chayns. 1682 Creech Lucretius (1683) iv. 110 As when the hindring door Imprisons up the longing Eye no more. 1725 Watts Logic ii. iv. §6 If a Man imprison himself in his Closet, and employ the most exquisite Powers of Reason to find out the Nature of Things. a 1821 Keats Ode Melancholy 19 If thy mistress some rich anger shows, Imprison her soft hand, and let her rave. 1841 Lane Arab. Nts. I. 97 Therefore will I put thee to death imprisoned in this bottle. |
2. transf. and fig. To confine, shut up: in various connexions, in which either the confining agent or cause, or the object confined, or the nature of the confinement, or both, are other than physical, or in which the object is inanimate.
| a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) Nn vj, Thou enprysonedst my harte at thy wyndowe. 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 78 Alas..that we..should be thus imprisoned in perplexities. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 429 They have much gold, but hold it an high offence to imprison it..in Chests or Treasuries. Ibid. 739 An extreame Fogge, as double gard to that Iland (uncertaine weather to fortifie it, or to imprison them). 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 55 At this time such raine, thunder and lightning fell upon us, that wee were imprisoned in our Tents. 1671 Milton Samson 8, I, a prisoner chained, scarce freely draw The air imprisoned also. 1675 Traherne Chr. Ethics 519 It is a great mistake..so far to imprison our love to our selves, as to make it inconsistent with charity towards others. 1691 Tryon Wisd. Dictates 2 Imprison thy Tongue lest it imprison thee. a 1700 Dryden (J.), Try to imprison the resistless wind. 1820 Keats St. Agnes ii, The sculptured dead..Emprison'd in black, purgatorial rails. |
Hence imˈprisoned ppl. a., imˈprisoning vbl. n. and ppl. a.; imˈprisoner, one who imprisons.
| 1529 More Suppl. Soulys Wks. 317/2 These poore emprisoned soules whome Christ..by his precious bloude..delyuered out of the lake of fyre wherin they lay bounden for their sinnes. c 1542 Udall in Royster D. (Shaks. Soc.) p. xix, None ympresonyng, noo tormentes. 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 243 Which heates the imprisoning rockes, when hot it growes. 1656 Prynne Rights Eng. Freemen 30 Any Levier of them [taxes], or imprisoner of refusers of them. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xvii. IV. 107 The imprisoned officer was liberated. 1879 Geo. Eliot Theo. Such 14 A partial release from the imprisoning verdict, that a man's philosophy is the formula of his personality. |
▪ II. † imˈprison, n. Obs. rare.
[f. prec. vb.]
Imprisonment.
| 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxxiii. (Percy Soc.) 159 But yet they hoped for to have releve Of theyr imprison which did them so greve. |