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    Which English word for a kind of prison is directly derived from a French word for the tower or keep at the bottom, of which such prisons were found in medieval times?

    Question #101511. Asked by flem-ish. (Dec 06 08 3:08 PM)


    Boycie75

    		Dungeon.
    The word dungeon was derived from the Old French donjon, which came from the Latin dominus, "lord".

    However, in French the term donjon means "keep" (a form of tower), and the term oubliette or cachot (a form of prison) is a more appropriate translation of the English "dungeon". These words are false friends, ie. are pairs of words in two languages or dialects (or letters in two alphabets) that look and/or sound similar, but differ in meaning.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_friend



    Dec 06 08, 3:59 PM

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