Definition

Noun: 1. The act of confining or state of being confined, especially during wartime: The detention or imprisonment of people, often in a camp, typically for political or military reasons without a trial. 2. The placing of private property in official custody: A legal action where property is taken into the custody of the law, often as security or pending a legal decision.

Usage and Examples

• General Confinement (especially wartime):
  • The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II remains a dark chapter in history.
  • The government ordered the internment of enemy aliens.
• Legal Custody of Property:
  • The court issued an order for the internment of the disputed assets.
  • The internment of the estate was necessary while the will was contested.

Advanced Usage and Notes

• Historical and Legal Context: The term "internment" is most strongly associated with the large-scale, often forced, detention of specific groups during wars or conflicts. It implies confinement by authority, distinct from imprisonment after a criminal conviction.
• "Internment camp": While "internment" itself means the act or state, it is frequently used in the compound term "internment camp" to describe the facility where such confinement occurs.
  • Thousands were held in internment camps.

Variants and Related Words

• Intern (verb): To confine or imprison, especially during wartime.
  • The army decided to intern the prisoners of war.
• Internee (noun): A person who is interned.
  • The internees were allowed limited communication with the outside world.

Synonyms

• Detention: The act of detaining or holding in custody.
• Confinement: The state of being enclosed or restricted within limits.
• Imprisonment: The state of being imprisoned; captivity.
• Incarceration: The state of being confined in prison.

Antonyms

• Release: The action of setting someone free.
• Liberation: The act of setting someone free from imprisonment or oppression.
• Freedom: The power or right to act, speak, or think without restraint.

Related Phrases and Concepts

• "Without trial": A phrase often associated with internment, highlighting its administrative or military nature rather than judicial.
  • They faced internment without trial.
• "Enemy alien internment": A specific historical context for the confinement of foreign nationals from a hostile nation.

Noun

1. placing private property in the custody of an officer of the law
2. the act of confining someone in a prison (or as if in a prison)
3. confinement during wartime