dungeon

[ duhn-juhn ]

noun

1. a strong, dark prison or cell, usually underground, as in a medieval castle.
2. the keep or stronghold of a castle; donjon.

dungeon

/ ˈdʌndʒən /

noun

1. a close prison cell, often underground
2. a variant of donjon

Word History and Origins

Origin of dungeon¹

1250–1300; Middle English dungeo ( u ) n, dongeoun, dungun < Middle French donjon < Vulgar Latin *domniōn- (stem of *domniō ) keep, mastery, syncopated variant of *dominiōn- dominion

Word History and Origins

Origin of dungeon¹

C14: from Old French donjon; related to Latin dominus master

Example Sentences

Despite being a dungeon crawler, the series has an unusually explicit focus on food.

From Salon

They must embark on an arduous journey to a lava-swamped region called the Nether and then excavate deep underground to find a dungeon known as a Stronghold.

From New York Times

When Supergiant Games was wrapping up Hades, a mythologically rich hack-and-slash dungeon crawler it had spent more than three years developing, the studio concluded it was not quite done.

From New York Times

A mysterious, multi-leveled dungeon has appeared in a tiny village after the catacombs beneath it split.

From Salon

In the early days of D&D, many scenarios were fairly linear — enter dungeon, defeat monsters and plunder, assuming your characters survive.

From New York Times

Related Words

• torture chamber