rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryoublietteDungeon entered from above
noun

oubliette

oo-blee-ET/ˌubliˈɛt/

A hidden dungeon accessible only through an opening above.

A trapdoor in the castle floor opens into an oubliette.

An architectural cutaway of a deep stone dungeon with uninterrupted walls and a single small ceiling hatch, making its only entrance unmistakable.
Etymology
oublietteFrenchdungeon entered only from above

French oubliette comes from oublier, “to forget.” Its grim image is a place where a prisoner could be forgotten: such dungeons held people condemned to perpetual imprisonment or to perish secretly.

In context

TheUntoldPast1:27
the prisoners would be thrown into the oubliette sometimes after intense torture and could possibly die in there
The Oubliette - History's Most Brutal Torture Method?

More examples

  • The prisoner is lowered into the oubliette on a rope.
  • Visitors peer down into the oubliette through its only opening.
  • The guide points out two oubliettes beneath the castle floor.

Forms

oubliette · oubliettes

Similar words

dungeon
An underground prison, not necessarily entered only from above.
pit
A deep hole, not necessarily used to confine prisoners.