dungeon

dun-geon · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A dark underground prison cell, especially in a castle.

  2. 2.

    (In fantasy games and literature) An underground labyrinth containing monsters and treasure.

  3. 3.

    A donjon; the main tower of a castle (archaic).

Forms

plural: dungeons

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    dungeon master — The person who runs a role-playing game
  • •
    Dungeons and Dragons — A famous fantasy role-playing game
  • •
    throw someone in a dungeon — To imprison someone

Related words

See also: castle, cell, prison
Synonyms: cell, oubliette, prison, vault

Etymology

From Old French donjon ("castle keep, tower"), from Latin dominus ("lord, master"). The underground prison sense developed because prisoners were often kept in the lower parts of castle towers.