US /keɪv/
verb noun Freq #2978

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    A large natural hole in the side of a hill or under the ground.

    We found a cave on the mountainside where we could take shelter.

  2. 2
    noun

    An underground room used for storing things, especially wine.

    This wine has been aged in our cave for thirty years.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
2 noun · an underground room used... cellar
More earthhole
Word family
Forms cavedcavescaving
Derived forms cave-paintingcaveboycavefishcavefulcavegirlcavelesscaveletcavelikecavemancavematecavemouthcaveperson

Etymology

From Middle English cave, borrowed from Old French cave, from Latin cava (“cavity”), from cavus (“hollow”). Cognate with Tocharian B kor (“throat”), Albanian cup (“odd, uneven”), Ancient Greek κύαρ (kúar, “eye of needle, earhole”), Old Armenian սոր (sor, “hole”), Sanskrit शून्य (śūnya, “empty, barren, zero”). Displaced native Old English sċræf. More at cavum, cavus and cage.

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