People who live together in an institution like a prison, jail, asylum, or dormitory.
From 'in' plus 'mate,' originally meaning someone who shares the same dwelling. First used in 1600s to describe people confined in institutions, carrying the sense of forced cohabitation.
The word 'inmate' reveals how language builds hierarchy—we don't call prison residents 'residents' or 'people,' we use a special label. This linguistic separation mirrors how institutions separate people from society.
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