rhizoverbBeta
DictionarydungeonUnderground prison
noun

dungeon

DUHN-juhn/ˈdʌndʒən/

A dark enclosed underground prison.

Short steps lead down to a stone dungeon with a barred door.

Small underground stone prison cell with barred door, short descending steps and tiny high opening admitting light; no prisoner or torture equipment, tightly bounded ink architectural cutaway on white.
Etymology
dungeonOld Frenchcastle keep; great tower

A donjon was a castle’s great tower or keep. In English, the name shifted from this stronghold to a strong cell within it, producing the sense of an underground prison.

In context

Forgotten Medieval Times0:08
a dimly lit dungeon where iron maidens and racks loom ominously.
The Darkest Side of Medieval Justice 🔥🛠️

More examples

  • The guards locked the captured spy in the dungeon.
  • Visitors descend into the castle's dark dungeon.
  • The captives escaped from their underground dungeons through a narrow tunnel.

Forms

dungeon · dungeons

Similar words

prison
A place of confinement, not necessarily dark or underground.
cell
An individual confinement room, not necessarily underground or in a castle.