Oubliette

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /uːbliˈɛt/

Definitions

1. A hidden underground chamber used for imprisoning someone in total solitude A secretive pit designed to keep captives without a means of escape A concealed dungeon where individuals are confined in isolation from the outside world
2. A covert underground cell intended to confine prisoners cut off from any exit
3. An enclosed subterranean space used to detain captives away from all external contact

Etymology: The French "oubliette" comes from "oublier," meaning "to forget," and the word describes exactly what such a place was built to do: hold prisoners so that the outside world would stop thinking about them. Medieval castles often had these pits, typically reached only through a hole in the floor or ceiling, so that a prisoner could be lowered in and left there, sometimes for life. English borrowed the word from French, keeping the French spelling and its sense of a secret, underground dungeon. The name is grimly literal. The sense of the word rests entirely on the idea of being put out of mind, and the cell was designed to make that happen.

Synonyms: dungeon, cell, prison