cavity

C1 Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /ˈkæv.ɪt.i/ See IPA manual

noun Freq #12783

Meanings

1

noun
A hole or hollow space inside a solid object.

The birds nested in a cavity in the old tree.
2

noun
A hole in a tooth caused by decay.

The dentist found two cavities and filled them.
3

noun
A natural hollow space within the body.

The lungs sit inside the chest cavity.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a hole or hollow space... pit

2 noun · a hole in a tooth caused by... cariestooth decay

3 noun · a natural hollow space... bodily cavity

Word family

Forms cavities

Derived forms anticavitycavicapturecavitandcavitationcavitiedcavitylessintracavitalintracavitymulticavitysubcavity

Related forms cavecavitarycavitateconcave excavate excavation excavator

Etymology

From Middle French cavité or Late Latin cavitās, from cav(i) (“hollow, excavated, concave”) + -tās (“-ity”, nominal suffix). First attested in the Mid-16th c.

*ḱewh₁- Proto-Indo-European cavité Middle French cavitās la-lat

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction Word Formation & Derivatives

# cavity

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈkæv.ɪt.i
**Frequency rank:** 12783

## Meanings
1. A hole or hollow space inside a solid object.
2. A hole in a tooth caused by decay.
3. A natural hollow space within the body.

## Examples
- The birds nested in a cavity in the old tree.
- The dentist found two cavities and filled them.
- The lungs sit inside the chest cavity.

## Derived Forms
- anticavity
- cavicapture
- cavitand
- cavitation
- cavitied
- cavityless
- intracavital
- intracavity
- multicavity
- subcavity

## Related Forms
- cave
- cavitary
- cavitate
- concave
- excavate
- excavation
- excavator

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *ḱewh₁-
- Root: cavité
- Root: cavitās

## Etymology
From Middle French cavité or Late Latin cavitās, from cav(i) (“hollow, excavated, concave”) + -tās (“-ity”, nominal suffix). First attested in the Mid-16th c.

## AI Etymology
Cavity is from Middle French cavité or Late Latin cavitās, from cav(i) (“hollow, excavated, concave”) + -tās (“-ity”, nominal suffix). First attested in the Mid-16th c. In present-day use, it can mean a hole or hollow space inside a solid object, or a hole in a tooth caused by decay. Derived formations include anticavity, cavicapture, cavitand, cavitation, and cavitied.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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cavity

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