house of correction
1
9.8
- noun
- /haʊs əv kəˈrɛkʃən/
- Archaic
:
casa de corrección
- She was sentenced to three months in a house of correction for continually violating the local curfew.
Examples
-
In the 19th century, a man could be sent to a house of correction for petty theft.
-
It has always been the vortex of weirdness with a nearby methadone clinic, house of correction, etc.
Blog text (8) -
After his conviction for vandalism, he spent time in a house of correction to reflect on his actions.
Synonyms
42
4.1
A building where police keep people who are waiting for trial or serving a sentence
2
4.9
A place where people who broke the law are kept as punishment or while they wait for trial
1
7.7
A place where young people who broke the law are kept by the court for a short time
1
4.6
A building where people are held as punishment or while waiting for trial
How Punitive
∞
1.0
∞
1.0
- Archaic
1
9.8
- UK
36
4.6
4
8.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
house + of + correction
The meaning is directly derivable from 'house' (a building) + 'of' (indicating possession/location) + 'correction' (the act of correcting/punishing), so it denotes a building where correction is carried out — i.e. a place of detention or reform. This follows the common English pattern 'house of X' for a location and is cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would very likely infer the intended institutional meaning.
Etymology
The name house of correction comes from places that were literally a house where people were sent for correction through work and strict rules. That's why the name now means 'a place where people were kept for minor crimes'.