English edit

Etymology edit

From French confinement. By surface analysis, confine +‎ -ment.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /kənˈfaɪnmənt/
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: con‧fine‧ment
  • Rhymes: -aɪnmənt

Noun edit

confinement (countable and uncountable, plural confinements)

  1. The act of confining or the state of being confined.
  2. (dated) Lying-in, time of giving birth.
    Synonyms: labour, birthing
    • 1887, The Popular Science Monthly, volume 31, page 629:
      In confinement ladies are attended, not by the ordinary doctors, but by women especially devoted to the calling, who regard their profession as honorable and humanitary.
    • 1913, D. H. Lawrence, chapter 1, in Sons and Lovers:
      At the wakes time Morel was working badly, and Mrs. Morel was trying to save against her confinement.
  3. lockdown

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

Further reading edit

French edit

Etymology edit

From confiner (to confine) +‎ -ment.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

confinement m (plural confinements)

  1. confinement
  2. the act of quarantining, of putting into quarantine
    Synonym: mise en quarantaine
  3. quarantine
  4. lockdown
    être en confinementto be in lockdown, under lockdown
  5. containment
    enceinte de confinementcontainment building

Antonyms edit

See also edit

Further reading edit