Is it dungeon or donjon?

Throughout its history, the word dungeon has had many spellings. Sometimes it was spelled donjon like the French word it comes from, and sometimes in other ways. In time the spelling donjon came to be used mostly for the castle tower, and the spelling dungeon mostly for the underground room or prison.

Why was it called a donjon?

Though it is uncertain, both dungeon and donjon are thought to derive from the Middle Latin word dominus, meaning "lord" or "master". In French, the term donjon still refers to a "keep", and the English term "dungeon" refers mostly to oubliette in French.

What is a donjon meaning?

donjon, orkeep, Most heavily fortified area of a medieval castle, usually a tower, to which the occupants could retire during a siege. It contained a well, quarters, offices, and service rooms.

What is the medieval word for dungeon?

From Middle English dongeoun, dongoun (“keep, dungeon, abyss”), from Old French donjon (“castle keep”), from Medieval Latin dungiō, from either Vulgar Latin *dominiō (from Latin dominium (“lordship; ownership”)) or Frankish *dungijā (“prison, dungeon, underground cellar”).

What is the old spelling of dungeon?

Throughout its history, the word dungeon has had many spellings. Sometimes it was spelled donjon like the French word it comes from, and sometimes in other ways. In time the spelling donjon came to be used mostly for the castle tower, and the spelling dungeon mostly for the underground room or prison.

Marriage Is A Dungeon (Max and Bracia's Duet)

What is another word for dungeons?

synonyms for dungeons

On this page you'll find 4 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to dungeons, such as: cell, vault, torture chamber, and oubliette.

What is the purpose of a donjon in a castle?

The purpose of a medieval castle dungeon was to detain prisoners. The dungeons were often dark, damp, and dirty, and were not meant to be comfortable places. Prisoners were usually kept in chains or locked in cages, and they were often subjected to torture.

What language is donjon?

Origin of Donjon

From Old French donjon.

Is a donjon a keep?

keep, English term corresponding to the French donjon for the strongest portion of the fortification of a castle, the place of last resort in case of siege or attack.

Where did servants sleep in medieval castles?

Most domestic servants would have slept in shared chambers in either the cellars or attics of the castle buildings. There might also be simple buildings outside the castle for herdsmen, mill workers, wood-cutters, and craftspeople such as rope-makers, candle-makers, potters, basket-weavers, and spinners.

What did Romans call castles?

The word "castle", both in Greek and in English, is of Latin origin. The Romans called any stronghold, walled place or tower "castrum" (pl. castra) and used the diminutive form, castellum (pl. castella), for everything from a fortress to a dwelling on a hill.

Where did knights sleep in a castle?

What other rooms were there in a Medieval castle? At the time of Chr tien de Troyes, the rooms where the lord of a castle, his family and his knights lived and ate and slept were in the Keep (called the Donjon), the rectangular tower inside the walls of a castle. This was meant to be the strongest and safest place.

What was the weakest point of a castle?

The entrance to the castle was always its weakest point. Drawbridges could be pulled up, preventing access across moats. Tall gate towers meant that defenders could shoot down in safety at attacks below. The main gate or door to the castle was usually a thick, iron-studded wooden door, that was hard to break through.

Why is a castle called a keep?

Since the 16th century, the English word keep has commonly referred to large towers in castles. The word originates from around 1375 to 1376, coming from the Middle English term kype, meaning basket or cask, and was a term applied to the shell keep at Guînes, said to resemble a barrel.

What is a bailey in a castle?

The bailey would have been where most of the day-to-day activities of a castle would take place – the stables, kitchens, storerooms, living quarters of the people associated with the castle (soldiers and servants, for example), and perhaps a chapel would have been located there.

What does Don Jon mean in French?

masculine noun. keep (of castle) Collins Beginner's French-English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers.

Does a dungeon have to be underground?

Dungeons can take place anywhere in the world, not just deep underground.

What is a Don John in French?

donjon → keep, donjon, stronghold, dungeon.

What is the yard in front of a castle called?

Bailey (Ward)

The courtyard of a castle containing the principal buildings, including sometimes a tower keep, which may be surrounded by its own fortified wall. Medieval Ballista. Wolfgang Sauber (CC BY-SA)

What is the basement of a castle called?

Many of these early medieval undercrofts were vaulted or groined, such as the vaulted chamber at Beverston Castle in Gloucestershire or the groined stores at Myres Castle. The term is sometimes used to describe a crypt beneath a church, used for burial purposes.

What was the yard in front of a wooden castle called?

The Bailey or Ward

It was a common feature of castles, and most had at least one. From a military standpoint, this courtyard was a wide-open space. So any invading soldiers who made it through the gate into the bailey would be exposed to arrow fire from the outer walls and towers and the inner walls and towers.

What is a Dungeon Master called?

To avoid infringement of trademarks by the publishers of Dungeons & Dragons, and to describe referees in role-playing genres other than sword and sorcery, other gaming companies use more generic terms, like Game Master, Game Operations Director (a backronym of GOD), Judge, Referee or Storyteller.

What is the name for a secret dungeon?

To imprison in an oubliette. noun A secret dungeon with an opening only at the top for the admission of air, used for persons condemned to perpetual imprisonment or to perish secretly, such as exist in some old castles or other buildings.

What is Dungeons and Dragons called?

Dungeons & Dragons (commonly abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

What was the worst job in a castle?

Gong Farmer. When it comes to horrible jobs in a castle, gong farmer has to win the prize. Gong farmers, also known as nightmen, were responsible for cleaning out human excrement from the cesspits within the castle walls.