Nominal Forms
Infinitive: to jail
Participle: jailed
Gerund: jailing
Cognates
-
Indicative
Present
| I | jail |
| you | jail |
| he;she;it | jails |
| we | jail |
| you | jail |
| they | jail |
Perfect
| I | have jailed |
| you | have jailed |
| he;she;it | has jailed |
| we | have jailed |
| you | have jailed |
| they | have jailed |
Past
| I | jailed |
| you | jailed |
| he;she;it | jailed |
| we | jailed |
| you | jailed |
| they | jailed |
Pluperfect
| I | had jailed |
| you | had jailed |
| he;she;it | had jailed |
| we | had jailed |
| you | had jailed |
| they | had jailed |
Future
| I | will jail |
| you | will jail |
| he;she;it | will jail |
| we | will jail |
| you | will jail |
| they | will jail |
Future Perfect
| I | will have jailed |
| you | will have jailed |
| he;she;it | will have jailed |
| we | will have jailed |
| you | will have jailed |
| they | will have jailed |
Subjunctive
Present
| I | jail |
| you | jail |
| he;she;it | jail |
| we | jail |
| you | jail |
| they | jail |
Perfect
| I | have jailed |
| you | have jailed |
| he;she;it | have jailed |
| we | have jailed |
| you | have jailed |
| they | have jailed |
Imperfect
| I | jailed |
| you | jailed |
| he;she;it | jailed |
| we | jailed |
| you | jailed |
| they | jailed |
Pluperfect
| I | had jailed |
| you | had jailed |
| he;she;it | had jailed |
| we | had jailed |
| you | had jailed |
| they | had jailed |
Conditional
Present
| I | would jail |
| you | would jail |
| he;she;it | would jail |
| we | would jail |
| you | would jail |
| they | would jail |
Perfect
| I | would have jailed |
| you | would have jailed |
| he;she;it | would have jailed |
| we | would have jailed |
| you | would have jailed |
| they | would have jailed |
Imperative
| you | jail |
| we | Let's jail |
| you | jail |
Verbs conjugated like 'jail'
abandon,
abduct,
abear,
aberr,
abject,
abord,
abort,
abound,
abraid,
abray,
abrook,
abscind,
abscond,
absist,
absorb,
abstain,
abstract,
accend,
accent,
accept, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)
Verbs similar to 'jail'
ail,
bail,
fail,
hail,
mail,
nail,
rail,
sail,
tail,
vail,
Additional Information
Phrasal Verbs
Etymology
1. c.1275, gayhol, from O.N.Fr. gaiole and O.Fr. jaole, both meaning "a cage, prison," from M.L. gabiola, from L.L. caveola, dim. of L. cavea "cage." Both forms carried into M.E.; now pronounced "jail" however it is spelled. Norman-derived gaol (preferred in Britain) is "chiefly due to statutory and official tradition" [OED]. The verb "to put in jail" is from 1604. Jailbird is 1603, an allusion to a caged bird. Jail-break "prison escape" is from 1910. Jail bait "girl under the legal age of consent" is attested from 1934.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *ḱewh₁-
4. Proto-Indo-European *-ós
5. Proto-Indo-European *ḱowh₁ós?
6. Proto-Italic *kawos
7. Latin cavus
8. Proto-Indo-European *-yósder.
9. Proto-Indo-European *-éyos
10. Proto-Italic *-ejos
11. Proto-Italic *-eos
12. Latin -eus
13. Latin *caveus
14. Latin cavea
15. Proto-Indo-European *-lós
16. Proto-Indo-European *-elós
17. Proto-Italic *-elos
18. Latin -ulus
19. Latin -ola
20. Late Latin caveola
21. Anglo-Norman jaiolebor.
22. Middle English gayole
23. English jail
24. Inherited from Middle English gayole, borrowed from Anglo-Norman jaiole, from Late Latin caveola, from Latin cavea (“cage”) + -ola (diminutive ending). Doublet of caveola and related to cage. More at cajole.
25. Fully displaced native Middle English quartern (“prison, jail, cell”), from Old English cweartern (“jail, prison”).
26. Partially displaced native Middle English lok, from Old English loc (“enclosure, pen; jail, prison”), whence lock; and Middle English carcern, from Old English carcern, from Latin carcer (“prison, jail”).
27. Compare these Old English words, all meaning “jail”: heaþor, heolstorloca (means also “jail cell”), clūstorloc, dung (also “dungeon”), hlinræced, nirwþ, nīedcleofa, hearmloca, and nearu.
Sample Sentences
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It has jailed environmental activists and is planning to limit the power of judicial oversight by handing a state-approved body a monopoly over bringing environmental lawsuits. [2013 August 10, “Can China clean up fast enough?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:]
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A 22-year-old man has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years for fatally stabbing 22-year-old Tashan Daniel in an unprovoked attack at Hillingdon Underground station on September 24 2019. [2020 September 9, “Network News: Man jailed for Hillingdon murder”, in Rail, page 25:]
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Hoping to everyone in Ghana will one day see and experience human rights. No one should be jailed or attacked because they are apart of the lgbtq^([sic]) community. I hope one day you all can seek refuge. [2026 July 11 (last accessed), anonymous author, Queering the Map, Onwe, Ashanti Region, Ghana, 6°40'54.9"N 1°25'34.3"W:]