Skip to content

cachot

dungeon, cell

noun kah-SHOH Rare

Origin: Old French 'cacher' (to hide)

Usage Note

Cachot describes a dark, underground prison cell or solitary-confinement space in a castle or old jail. The expression mettre au cachot means to throw someone in the dungeon. It is more literary and historical than the everyday cellule (prison cell).

Examples

"Le prisonnier fut jeté au cachot sans procès."

Natural Translation

The prisoner was thrown in the dungeon without trial.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic