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The Learning Kingdom's Cool Word of the Day for May 25, 1999
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dungeon [n. DUN-jun]
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A dungeon is a dark chamber, usually underground, where prisoners are
confined. Most dungeons are located underneath European castles.
The history of this word traces from the top of the castle to the
bottom. From the Latin root dominus (master), came Vulgar Latin
domnio (lord's tower), the most elevated part of the castle.
By the 14th century, in Old French a donjon could be the whole castle,
but it could also be the keep (a secure structure that was often below
the castle) as well as a prison cell in the keep. Today, the dungeon
is usually in the deepest part of the castle, far below the lord's
tower.
Here are more "masterful" words:
domain: controlled territory; area of activity or interest
dominion: control or exercise of control
demesne: manorial land retained by a lord
don: male title (Spanish); crime family leader
danger: exposure to harm or risk; power to harm (obsolete)
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