Meaning

noun a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language

noun (criminal law) a final judgment of guilty in a criminal case and the punishment that is imposed

noun the period of time a prisoner is imprisoned

originBorrowed from Middle French sentence, from Latin sententia (“way of thinking, opinion, sentiment”), from sentiēns, present participle of sentiō (“to feel, think”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sent- (“to feel”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0