donjon

[ duhn-juhn, don- ]

noun

1. the inner tower, keep, or stronghold of a castle.

donjon

/ ˈdʌndʒən; ˈdɒn- /

noun

1. the heavily fortified central tower or keep of a medieval castle Also calleddungeon

Word History and Origins

Origin of donjon¹

Variant of dungeon

Word History and Origins

Origin of donjon¹

C14: archaic variant of dungeon

Example Sentences

We toured “le donjon,” and he explained to me that the word donjon, in French, means a keep or a main tower and is not to be confused with a dungeon.

From New York Times

The king did not order her loaded with chains and haled to the donjon keep.

From Project Gutenberg

“We’ve got a right to talk as loudly as we like, I take it, being alone in a dark old donjon keep!”

From Project Gutenberg

On a mound in the centre of this space rises an older donjon, octagonal in shape, protected by another enceinte.

From Project Gutenberg

Above the donjon, a broad flag flapped lazily in the air, and the blazon on it--three wasps on a green field--was his own.

From Project Gutenberg