oubliette

American  

[oo-blee-et] / ˌu bliˈɛt /

noun

1. a secret dungeon with an opening only in the ceiling, as in certain old castles.

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oubliette British  

/ ˌuːblɪˈɛt /

noun

1. a dungeon, the only entrance to which is through the top

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Etymology

Origin of oubliette

1810–20; < French, Middle French, equivalent to oubli ( er ) to forget, Old French oblider < Vulgar Latin *oblītāre, derivative of Latin oblītus (past participle of oblīvīscī to forget; oblivion ) + Middle French -ette -ette

Example Sentences

He was not in the oubliette for long.

From The Guardian

A Morris oubliette means restraint into perfect immobility.

From New York Times

Let the novel open like an oubliette under your feet.

From New York Times

I let myself have a brief fantasy of Prince Dain’s coronation, of me dancing with a grinning Locke while Cardan is dragged away and thrown in a dark oubliette.

From Literature

Of our prejudices against the Puritans, she writes: “Stigma is a vast oubliette.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• torture chamber