gaol

views updated Jun 08 2018

gaol, jail sb. XIII. ME. (i) gay(h)ole, gail(l)e — ONF. ga(i)ole; (ii) iai(o)le — OF. jaiole, jeole (mod. geêle) :- Rom. *gaviola, for *caveola, dim. of L. cavea CAGE. The form gaol repr. a pronunc. with hard g which was current till XVII; the pronunc. repr. by jail was equally early (XIII).
Hence vb. XVII. Comp. gaol-bird prisoner in gaol, habitual criminal XVII. So gaoler, jailer, gaolor XIII. ME. gayholere, gailer and iailere,* geilere — OF. gaiolere and jaioleur, jeolier (mod. geôlier).

Gaol

views updated May 29 2018

GAOL

The old English word for jail.