donjon

noun

don·​jon ˈdän-jən How to pronounce donjon (audio) ˈdən- How to pronounce donjon (audio)
: a massive inner tower in a medieval castle see castle illustration

Illustration of donjon

Illustration of donjon
  • 1 donjon

Examples of donjon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web It’s billed as the tallest medieval donjon in Europe. Nicole Defeudis, BostonGlobe.com, 29 May 2018 However, both donjon and dungeon originally referred to and still refer to, secondarily, a castle keep. David Dobbs, Slate Magazine, 25 Sep. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'donjon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English — more at dungeon

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of donjon was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near donjon

Cite this Entry

“Donjon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/donjon. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

donjon

noun
don·​jon ˈdän-jən How to pronounce donjon (audio) ˈdən- How to pronounce donjon (audio)
: the main inner tower in a castle
Etymology

Middle English donjon "inner tower of a castle," from early French donjon (same meaning) — related to dungeon see Word History at dungeon

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!