en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon
1 correction found
the English term "dungeon" refers mostly to oubliette in French.
Standard English–French dictionaries translate *dungeon* mainly as *cachot (souterrain)*, not *oubliette*; *oubliette* is a narrower, more specific term.
Full reasoning
This overstates and misstates the normal French equivalent of dungeon. Major bilingual dictionaries do not give oubliette as the main French rendering of English dungeon.
- Cambridge translates dungeon as "cachot (souterrain)".
- Larousse gives "cachot souterrain" for the prison sense and "donjon" for the tower sense.
- Meanwhile, the French CNRTL defines oubliette more narrowly as a specific prison space under a castle keep or a trap-covered pit used to hide or dispose of prisoners.
So while oubliette can denote a particular kind of dungeon, it is not accurate to say the English term dungeon refers mostly to oubliette in French.
3 sources
- Cambridge Dictionary: Translation of dungeon – English-French dictionary
Translation of dungeon - English-French dictionary ... a dark underground prison ... cachot (souterrain).
- Larousse: Traduction de dungeon
Traduction de dungeon ... noun [in castle] cachot m souterrain [tower] donjon m.
- CNRTL / TLFi: OUBLIETTES : Définition de OUBLIETTES
A. − Cachot ménagé dans le sous-sol du donjon des châteaux moyenâgeux ... B. − Fosse couverte d'une trappe dans laquelle on précipitait ceux dont on voulait se défaire secrétement.