dungeon

Meaning

Noun

1. An underground prison or vault, typically built underneath a castle.
2. The low area between two drumlins.
3. (obsolete) The main tower of a motte or castle; a keep or donjon.
4. (obsolete) A shrewd person.
5. An area inhabited by enemies, containing story objectives, treasure, and bosses.
6. A room dedicated to sadomasochistic sexual activity.

Verb

To imprison in a dungeon.

Synonyms

prison

jail

cell

keep

prison cell

cave

donjon

vault

pit

oubliette

penal colony

penitentiary

reformatory

shut up

stockade

underground

dark hole

claptrap

gaol

gas

hole

🕳️

house of detention

imprison

lock up

lock-up

Translations

Verlies

Kerker

calabozo

mazmorra

cachot

zindan

kerker

calabós

oubliette

calabouço

carcer

μπουντρούμι

masmorra

prigione sotterranea

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈdʌn.d͡ʒən/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: dongeoun

In summary

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.