# *Panopticon*

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### **PRONUNCIATION:**

(pan-OP-ti-kon, puh-NAHP-ti-kahn)

### **MEANING:**

noun:

1. A circular prison with a watchtower in the center so that any inmate can be observed from a single point.

2. A place marked by constant surveillance.

### **ETYMOLOGY:**

The design of such a prison was proposed by the utilitarian and philosopher Jeremy Bentham in 1787. From Greek pan (all) + optikon (sight, seeing). Earliest documented use: 1787.