A person incarcerated in a prison, while on trial or serving a sentence.
"The prisoner sat quietly in his cell awaiting the verdict of his upcoming trial."
In plain English: A prisoner is someone who has been locked up by authorities because they broke the law and are waiting for their trial or punishment.
"The prisoner waited patiently for his court date to begin."
Usage: Use this term to refer specifically to someone currently held within a correctional facility under official custody. Avoid using it as a synonym for suspect before legal charges are filed or conviction occurs.
The word entered English from the Old French term prisonier, which was derived directly from the noun "prison." It originally denoted someone who was confined within a prison, maintaining that core meaning as it traveled into our language.