dungeon
An underground prison or vault, typically built underneath a castleAn underground prison or vault, typically built underneath a castle.
Recorded UK: Speaker: Vealhurl Recorder: Vealhurl, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons · Recorded US: Speaker: NaomiAmethyst Recorder: NaomiAmethyst, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
» Put that spy in the dungeon.
Eccles17 · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
6 sensesAn underground prison or vault, typically built underneath a castle.
Verlies, Kerker
темни́цаtemníca, склепsklep, подземе́льеpodzemélʹje
темни́цяtemnýcja, підземе́лляpidzeméllja
The low area between two drumlins.
An area inhabited by enemies, containing story objectives, treasure, and bosses.
A room dedicated to sadomasochistic sexual activity.
(obsolete)The main tower of a motte or castle; a keep or donjon.
Donjon
гла́вная ба́шняglávnaja bášnja, донжо́нdonžón
the main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress
(obsolete)A shrewd person.
Examples
29 sentencesPut that spy in the dungeon.
Ziri will die in a dungeon.
Gabor went down to the dungeon.
Ziri was taken to a dungeon.
She was taken to a dungeon.
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 2
By meaning 2
Origin
From Middle English dongeoun (“keep of a castle; dungeon; abyss, cave, den; whirlpool”), fFrom Middle English dongeoun (“keep of a castle; dungeon; abyss, cave, den; whirlpool”), from Anglo-Norman donjun (“keep of a castle; keep used as a prison; dungeon”) and continental Old French donjon (“keep of a castle”), from Vulgar Latin *dominiōnem, seemingly derived from Latin dominus (“master, lord”) perhaps via some figurative sense like “dominant building”. Doublet of donjon. The sense of “prison (associated with a castle)”, first attested in Anglo-Norman (13th c.) and apparently never in continental Old French, likely developed in combination with Old English dung (“underground prison cell”), whence Middle English donge (“pit, abyss”, senses that are also attested for Middle English dongeoun).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: dungeonsSynonyms
2 synonymsWord family
18 related wordsSee also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.