pénitencier
French, noun/pe.ni.tɑ̃.sje/
pénitencier is spelled P-É-N-I-T-E-N-C-I-E-R (11 letters) and appears 1.5 times per million words in written French, the 24,887th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Pénitencier is a French masculine noun meaning “penitentiary, prison” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Prêtre commis par l’évêque pour absoudre des cas réservés”.
What does pénitencier mean in English?
noun
- 1
masculinepenitentiary, prison
- 2
masculinea priest who administers the sacrament of absolution
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Prêtre commis par l’évêque pour absoudre des cas réservés. 2. Prison ; établissement de détention.
adjective: 1. Relatif à la prison.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of pénitencier
- pénitenciers plural
- pénitencière singular feminine
- pénitencières plural feminine
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce pénitencier?
- /pe.ni.tɑ̃.sje/
- \pe.ni.tɑ̃.sje\
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to pénitencier
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is pénitencier in French?
pénitencier appears 1.5 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).