Confined or shut up, usually describing emotions or energy that have been held back and bottled up.
Past participle of 'pen,' from Old English 'pennan.' The phrase 'pent up' became the dominant usage, emphasizing psychological or emotional confinement.
The phrase 'pent-up energy' describes a real psychological state—emotions bottled for too long eventually explode, which is why psychologists say expressing feelings is important.
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