French word

réclusion

Pronunciation

IPA/ʁeklyzjɔ̃/

Meaning

  • feminine nounimprisonment

Example

Pour ce vol, il risque la réclusion.

For this theft, he risks imprisonment.

Illustration for réclusion (imprisonment)

More examples

La crainte de la réclusion incite certains à coopérer avec la police.

The fear of incarceration encourages some people to cooperate with the police.

Core concept

A convicted person placed behind institutional walls by a court, with freedom legally withdrawn.

Similar words

prison: A facility where accused or convicted people are held and cannot leave.
incarcération: The act or state of placing someone in prison and depriving them of freedom.
peine: A punishment imposed by a court or other legal authority.
détention: A state in which a person is held and has limited freedom.

Definition in French

Peine privative de liberté prononcée par une juridiction, consistant en la détention de la personne condamnée.

Word origin

The noun réclusion continues Latin reclusio, formed from recludere, 'to shut away,' whose sense of enclosure became a French legal term for detention.

Usage tips

  • In legal language, réclusion often occurs in réclusion criminelle, while prison and incarcération are broader terms used in ordinary contexts.

Other meanings

  • seclusionnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word