workhouse

n.

1. A prison in which limited sentences are served at manual labor.
2. Chiefly British. A poorhouse.

1. An institution for confining individuals sentenced to terms usually less than one year.
2. (Brit.) A poorhouse.

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[MC]

In Britain, a house maintained by the parish authorities after the Poor Law Act 1722 or by the Poor Law Union after 1834, in which the poor were housed and set to work where they were capable of it.

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: (British) a poorhouse where able-bodied poor are compelled to labor

Meaning #2: a county jail that holds prisoners for periods up to 18 months

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - fattighus, arbejdsanstalt

Nederlands (Dutch)
huis van bewaring

Français (French)
n. - (GB, Hist) asile des pauvres, (US, Hist) maison de correction

Deutsch (German)
n. - Arbeitshaus, Armenhaus

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (Βρετ., ιστ.) πτωχοκομείο, (ΗΠΑ) αναμορφωτήριο, σωφρονιστικό ίδρυμα

Italiano (Italian)
ospizio per poveri, casa di lavoro, laboratorio

Português (Portuguese)
n. - casa de correção (f), casa para pobres (f)

Русский (Russian)
работный дом, исправительная тюрьма, исправительно-трудовой лагерь

Español (Spanish)
n. - asilo de pobres, reformatorio, correccional

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - fattighus, uppfostringsanstalt

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
囚犯工厂, 贫民习艺所

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 囚犯工廠, 貧民習藝所

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 소년원, 경범죄자 노역소, 구빈원

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 感化院, 労役所

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) مشغل, تكيه, مأوى للفقراء‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮בית-מחסה, מוסד לעבריינים‬

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