jail /'jāl/ n: a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody; specif: such a place under the jurisdiction of a local government (as a county) for the confinement of persons awaiting trial or those convicted of minor crimes compare house of correction, house of detention, lockup, penitentiary, prison
jail vt
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.