Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

penal

/ˈpiːnəl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.46 in modern English

Syllables
pe-nal
IPA
/ˈpiːnəl/
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of or relating to punishment.

adj

Subject to punishment; punishable.

adj

Serving as a place of punishment.

adj

Exorbitant.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Old French peinal, from Medieval Latin penalis, from Latin poenalis, from poena (“punishment”), from Ancient Greek ποινή (poinḗ, “punishment”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷoynéh₂.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: peinal, penalis, poenalis, ποινή, *kʷoynéh₂, *kʷey-

Inflected Forms

pænal (alternative) pænall (alternative) penall (alternative) pœnal (alternative) pœnall (alternative)

Derived Forms

nonpenal parapenal penalise penalism penalization penally postpenal unpenal

Phrases

penal code penal colony penal-industrial complex penal law penal notice penal officer penal populism penal rosary

Frequently Paired Words

penality penalize penalty carceral penitential

Synonyms

penary penitentiary castigable disciplinable chastisable penal punishable statutable subpenal disproportionate usurious exorbiant

Homonyms

penile (one pronunciation)

Antonyms

nonpenal unpenal

Rhymes With

renal adrenal venal duodenal espinal penile phenyl

Questions

How do you pronounce penal?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpiːnəl/.
What does penal mean?
Of or relating to punishment.
Where does penal come from?
It is traced to Old French.

How to pronounce penal

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “penal”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpiːnəl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “penal”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “penal” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.