inmate
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From inn + mate, or from in- + mate.
Noun [edit]
inmate (plural inmates)
- A person confined to an institution such as a prison (as a convict) or hospital (as a patient)
- A person who occupies or dwells within a dwelling-house. The word came to be used to refer to temporary inhabitants such as guests in a hotel, students in an on-campus dormitory, patients in a hospital, or prisoners.
Usage notes [edit]
Perhaps around 1970, television journalists began to use the word as a euphemism for "prisoner", and today perhaps many young people cannot remember that it ever had any other meaning.
Translations [edit]
one confined to institution, such as a prison
one who occupies a dwelling-house