cave
pronunciation
How to pronounce cave in British English:
UK [keɪv]
How to pronounce cave in American English:
US [keɪv]
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- Noun:
- an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
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- Verb:
- hollow out as if making a cave or opening
- explore natural caves
Word Origin
- cave
- cave: There are two English words cave which, despite their apparent similarity, are probably unrelated. The earlier, ‘underground chamber’ [13], comes via Old French cave from Latin cavea, a nominal use of the adjective cavus ‘hollow’ (source also of cavern [14], via Old French caverne or Latin caverna, and of cavity [16], from the late Latin derivative cavitās).The verb cave [18], however, as in ‘cave in’, seems to come from an earlier dialectal calve ‘collapse, fall in’, once widespread in the eastern counties of England; it has been speculated that this was borrowed from a Low German source, such as Flemish inkalven. It has subsequently, of course, been much influenced by the noun cave.=> cavern, cavity, decoy
- cave (n.)
- early 13c., from Old French cave "a cave, vault, cellar" (12c.), from Latin cavea "hollow" (place), noun use of neuter plural of adjective cavus "hollow," from PIE root *keue- "a swelling, arch, cavity" (see cumulus). Replaced Old English eorðscrafu. First record of cave man is 1865.
- cave (v.)
- early 15c., caven, "to hollow something out," from cave (n.). Modern sense "to collapse in or down" is 1707, American English, presumably from East Anglian dialectal calve "collapse, fall in," perhaps from Flemish; subsequently influenced by cave (n.). Transitive sense by 1762. Related: Caved; caving. Figurative sense of "yield to pressure" is from 1837.
Example
- 1. Large cave is already known for thousands of years .
- 2. And I did not leave my cave for three days .
- 3. But when the dessert cart comes by , we humans often cave in .
- 4. Most important , I would not cave to pressure from anyone .
- 5. The spelunking team encountered some of the largest rooms and most impressive structures of any river cave on earth , pollack said .