Boite Rouge D&D 1983

famous Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game box, French edition from 1983.

The original English title is "Dungeons & Dragons." The word "dungeon" is a false friend, meaning "oubliettes," used here in the more general sense of "underground."

Indeed, although in the 14th century the word "dungeon" was used to refer to the central tower of a fortification, the meaning of the word has shifted to refer only to the underground dungeons built inside dungeons: oubliettes. The current word for "donjon" in modern English is "keep."

A correct translation of Dungeons & Dragons would therefore be "Oubliettes et Dragons." Its translation into "Dungeons and Dragons" certainly owes much to the euphonious quality of the terms.