cave

Definition

A large, naturally-occurring cavity formed underground or in the face of a cliff or a hillside.

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.

Example Sentences

• "We found a cave on the mountainside where we could take shelter."
• "The preposterous altruism too![…]Resist not evil. It is an insane immolation of self—as bad intrinsically as fakirs stabbing themselves or anchorites warping their spines in caves scarcely large enough for a fair-sized dog."
• "Every boy at one time or another has dug a cave; I suppose because ages and ages ago his ancestors had to live in caves, […]"