Dungeon

How to spell dungeon

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce dungeon

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does dungeon mean?

1. nounA dark underground cell or chamber, especially in a castle, used to hold prisoners.

Dungeon in a sentence

• The castle tour ended in a cold stone dungeon beneath the courtyard.

• Medieval lords could lock their enemies in a dungeon for years.

Where does dungeon come from?

Language of origin: French

This word arrived in English in the 1300s from the Old French donjon, which named the great central tower, or keep, of a castle. The French word traces back through Vulgar Latin dominionem to the Latin dominus, meaning 'lord' or 'master', so a donjon was literally the lord's tower, the strongest and most commanding part of a fortress. Because the lowest, most secure rooms of such a tower were often used to lock away prisoners, the meaning gradually shifted from 'fortified keep' to the dark underground cell we picture today. The same dominus root also gives us 'dominion', 'dominate', and 'dominant', which is a useful reminder that this gloomy word once meant a place of mastery rather than captivity. The unusual spelling, with that quiet 'g' before the 'e', preserves the French origin and is the part that most often trips writers up.

How the word is built

• dungeon (from Old French donjon, the lord's keep)
• no separate suffix; ultimately from dom- (lord)