English Explanatory Dictionary

borstal

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A way up a hill in the South Downs.
  2. Any of the prisons set up in Britain for delinquent boys from 1895 to 1983.
  3. Any institution which provides education to young offenders.
name
  1. A suburb, formerly a village, in Rochester, Medway borough, Kent, England (OS grid ref TQ7366).

Word forms

borstal borstals bostal

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English *borstile, *borghstile, from Old English beorh (“a hill”) + stigel (“a stile”). The institutions are named after Borstal Prison in Borstal, Rochester, Kent, England.

Synonyms

reformatory

Derived words

Borstalian borstal training
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