Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Inmate
In′mateˊ
(ĭn′mātˊ)
, Noun.
[
In
+ mate
an associate.] One who lives in the same house or apartment with another; a fellow lodger;
esp.,
one of the occupants of an asylum, hospital, or prison;
by extension,
one who occupies or lodges in any place or dwelling.
So spake the enemy of mankind, inclos’d
In serpent,
In serpent,
inmate
bad. Milton.
In′mateˊ
,Adj.
Admitted as a dweller; resident; internal.
[R.]
“Inmate guests.” Milton.
Webster 1828 Edition
Inmate
IN'MATE
,Noun.
1.
A lodger; one who lives with a family, but is not otherwise connected with it than as a lodger.IN'MATE
,Adj.
Definition 2024
inmate
inmate
English
Noun
inmate (plural inmates)
- A person confined to an institution such as a prison (as a convict) or hospital (as a patient)
- A person who occupies or dwells within a dwelling-house. The word came to be used to refer to temporary inhabitants such as guests in a hotel, students in an on-campus dormitory, patients in a hospital, or prisoners.
Usage notes
Perhaps around 1970, television journalists began to use the word as a euphemism for "prisoner", and today perhaps many young people cannot remember that it ever had any other meaning.
Derived terms
Translations
one confined to institution, such as a prison
one who occupies a dwelling-house