Emily Dickinson Lexicon

dungeon (-s, -'s), n. [Fr. donjon, lord; see dominion, n.] (webplay: light, prison).

1. Pit; underground hold; deep dark incarceration place; hole in the ground used for confining prisoners; (see Genesis 40:15); [fig.] desperate situations; circumstances of deprivation.
2. Gaol; prison; jail cell; [fig.] casket; coffin; grave; tomb.
3. Keep; holding place; innermost castle tower for confining important prisoners; [fig.] body; mortality; human life on earth.