prĭz'ə-nər

Prison

[Middle English, from Old French, alteration (influenced by Old French pris, taken) of Latin prēnsiō, prēnsiōn-, a seizing, from *prehēnsiō, from prehēnsus, past participle of prehendere, to seize; see ghend- in Indo-European roots.]

Word History: The word prison can be traced back to the Latin word prēnsiō, "the action or power of making an arrest." This in turn is derived from the verb prehendere or prēndere, which meant "to take hold of, take into custody, arrest." Prēnsiō then surfaces in the Old French of the 12th century with the form prison and the senses "capture" and "place of imprisonment."

Prisoner

One deprived of freedom of expression or action: "He was a prisoner of his own personality—of that given set of traits that . . . predisposed him to see the world in a certain way, to make certain moves, certain choices" (William H. Hallahan).

From the American Heritage Dictionary