desmoterion is a place of confinement, shown as a secured place holding detainees and affected by opened doors and loosened bonds.

The attested usage consistently denotes a place where people are confined: John hears while inside it, officials send for prisoners there and find it secured, and an earthquake affects its foundations, doors, and prisoners' bonds.

1. Place of confinement for detainees · dominant

   The noun identifies the location where John hears before sending disciples in Matthew 11:2. In Acts 5:21 officials send there to bring those held, while Acts 5:23 describes it as secured with guards at the doors; in Acts 16:26 the APB renders the clause "the foundations of the prison were shaken" as its doors open and bonds are unfastened.

   Acts 16:26Acts 5:21Acts 5:23Matthew 11:2

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across all four verses, the APB presents the location as "prison." This rendering confirms the verses' setting rather than isolating every contribution of the Greek noun.