celling

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of cell.

   Celling inmates individually became routine after the overcrowding reforms.

   Staff were celling the latest arrivals when the alarm sounded.

   Note

   As a verb, cell is transitive, so both uses take an object: staff are celling new arrivals, or celling inmates individually. The gerund can head a noun phrase or serve as a subject. The participle joins forms of be to mark ongoing action. When the act hardens into a condition, as in double celling, the word has become the noun for confinement.

2. 2
   noununcountablein compounds

   The state of being kept confined in a cell, as in a prison or jail.

   Extended celling without exercise raised concerns among prison reformers.

   After the brawl, both men faced a month of celling.

   Similarconfinement, incarceration, lockdown

   Note

   A noun that usually comes with a number in front of it: double celling, triple celling. Prisons use these terms when crowding forces them to put more inmates into each cell. The pairs are written open, without a hyphen, and they tend to come in sequence as a crowding problem gets worse. On its own the word is rare and sounds clipped, so reach for the compound when you can.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2