dungeon
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dungeon
- /ˈdʌn.d͡ʒən/
Where it comes from
From 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).
The game term has been popularized by Dungeons & Dragons.
noun dungeons
- An underground prison or vault, typically built underneath a castle. Year after year he lay patiently in a dungeon.
- The low area between two drumlins.
- The main tower of a motte or castle; a keep or donjon.
- A shrewd person.
- An area inhabited by enemies, containing story objectives, treasure, and bosses.
- A room dedicated to sadomasochistic sexual activity.
verb dungeons · dungeoning · dungeoned
- To imprison in a dungeon. Of every act of severity, of every bold violation of the constitution, of every bill for dungeoning and gagging the people, of every tax, of every loan, of all that set frugality at defiance, and that mocked at mercy, these men had been either the authors or the most strenuous supporters […]
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: donjon, keep, stockade, hole, ghyll, lock-up, jail, prison, fitter, tower, cell, cachot, crypt, undercroft, vault, cellar
Translations
Every language
noun underground prison or vault
| Español | mazmorra, calabozo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 던전 deonjeon |
| 日本語 | 地下牢 chikarō |
| 中文 | 地牢 dìláo |
| हिन्दी | काल कोठरी kāl koṭhrī, भाकसी bhāksī, कारागार kārāgār, अंधकुप andhkup, क़ैदख़ाना qaidxānā, कैदखाना kaidkhānā |
| Português | masmorra, calabouço, calaboiço |
| Français | oubliette, cachot |
| Deutsch | Verlies, Kerker |
| Italiano | prigione sotterranea, segreta |
| Ελληνικά | μπουντρούμι bountroúmi |
| Русский | темни́ца temníca, склеп sklep, подземе́лье podzemélʹje |
| Tiếng Việt | tầng hâm |
| العربية | زِنْزَانَة zinzāna, دَيْمَاس daymās |
| עברית | צִינוֹק tzinóq |
noun the main tower of a motte or castle; a keep or donjon
| Español | mazmorra |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 城堡主樓 /城堡主楼 chéngbǎo zhǔlóu, 樓櫓 /楼橹 lóulǔ |
| Português | torre de menagem |
| Français | donjon |
| Deutsch | Donjon |
| Italiano | torrione |
| Русский | гла́вная ба́шня glávnaja bášnja, донжо́н donžón |
Talk about this word "dungeon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dungeon. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. dungeon. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dungeon "dungeon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dungeon.Cite this
@misc{dungeon_2026,
title = {dungeon},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dungeon},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
