1. A circular prison with cells distributed around a central surveillance station; proposed by Jeremy Bentham in 1791
   "The panopticon design allowed guards to observe inmates without them knowing whether they were being watched"
    
2. An area where everything is visible
   "The open-plan office acted as a panopticon, with managers able to see all employees at once"

Derived forms: panopticons

Type of: area, prison, prison house

Encyclopedia: Panopticon