cave

[ keyv ]

/ keɪv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cave ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a hollow in the earth, especially one opening more or less horizontally into a hill, mountain, etc.

a storage cellar, especially for wine.

English History. a secession, or a group of seceders, from a political party on some special question.

verb (used with object), caved, cav·ing.

to hollow out.

Mining.

to cause (overlying material) to fall into a stope, sublevel, or the like.
to cause (supports, as stulls or sets) to collapse beneath overlying material.
to fill (a stope or the like) with caved-in material: sub-level caving.

verb (used without object), caved, cav·ing.

to cave in.

Verb Phrases

cave in,

to fall in; collapse.
to cause to fall in or collapse.
Informal. to yield; submit; surrender: The opposition caved in before our superior arguments.

Nearby words

cavalryman, cavan, cavate, cavatelli, cavatina, cave, cave art, cave bear, cave canem, cave cricket, cave dweller

Origin of cave

1175–1225; Middle English < Old French < Late Latin cava (feminine singular), Latin cava, neuter plural of cavum hole, noun use of neuter of cavus hollow

Related formscave·like, adjective

Definition for cave (2 of 2)

cave canem

[ kah-we kah-nem; English key-vee key-nuh m, kah-vey ]

/ ˈkɑ wɛ ˈkɑ nɛm; English ˈkeɪ vi ˈkeɪ nəm, ˈkɑ veɪ /

Latin.

beware of the dog.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cave

Cast Angelina Jolie in that role with Brad Pitt as the cave hubbie, and maybe we have a blockbuster in the making.
Can Tarzan of the Apes Survive in a Post-Colonial World?|Ted Gioia|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The existence of the images—which resemble the styles and themes found in European cave art—has been known for some time.
The Oldest Cave Art May Not Be in Europe|Justin Jones|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was dark, dank, the walls charcoal-colored, the feeling of a cave.
Fighting Back With Faith: Inside the Yezidis’ Iraqi Temple|Michael Luongo|August 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Its name translates to “Cave of the Stone Sepulcher,” but locally it is called by a nickname that means “a place of fear.”
The Cave Where Mayans Sacrificed Humans Is Open for Visitors|Nina Strochlic|August 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Ironically, the first archaeologist to explore the cave had a connection to the most legendary fictional explorer.
The Cave Where Mayans Sacrificed Humans Is Open for Visitors|Nina Strochlic|August 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And there is the cave under the rock where Moses dwelt, when he fasted forty days and forty nights.
The Travels of Sir John Mandeville|John Mandeville
One bolt struck near with a tremendous shock and the air was driven in violent waves into the very mouth of the cave.
The Keepers of the Trail|Joseph A. Altsheler
The statement may be true; but instead of a cave there is only a tunnel a few rods in length.
Archeological Investigations|Gerard Fowke
The mouth of the cave could be closed up and opened at will for later burials.
Archology and the Bible|George A. Barton
He stayed no more with the Giant maid, but flew up into the high rocks of the cave.
The Children of Odin|Padraic Colum

British Dictionary definitions for cave (1 of 2)

cave

/ (keɪv) /

noun

an underground hollow with access from the ground surface or from the sea, often found in limestone areas and on rocky coastlines

British history a secession or a group seceding from a political party on some issueSee Adullamite

(modifier) living in caves

verb

(tr) to hollow out

Word Origin for cave

C13: from Old French, from Latin cava, plural of cavum cavity, from cavus hollow

British Dictionary definitions for cave (2 of 2)

cave

/ (ˈkeɪvɪ) British school slang /

noun

guard or lookout (esp in the phrase keep cave)

sentence substitute

watch out!

Word Origin for cave

from Latin cavē! beware!

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cave (1 of 2)

cave

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.

Word Origin and History for cave (1 of 2)

cave

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.

Science definitions for cave

cave

[ kāv ]

A naturally occurring underground hollow or passage, especially one with an opening to the surface of the Earth. Caves can form through a variety of processes, including the dissolution of limestone by flowing water, the differential cooling of volcanic magma (which occurs when the outside surface of the lava cools, but the inside continues to flow downwards, forming a hollow tube), or the action of wind and waves along a rocky coast.

cave

noun

verb (used with object), caved, cav·ing.

verb (used without object), caved, cav·ing.

Verb Phrases

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Nearby words

Origin of cave

Definition for cave (2 of 2)

cave canem

Latin.

Examples from the Web for cave

British Dictionary definitions for cave (1 of 2)

cave

noun

verb

Word Origin for cave

British Dictionary definitions for cave (2 of 2)

cave

noun

sentence substitute

Word Origin for cave

Word Origin and History for cave (1 of 2)

cave

Word Origin and History for cave (1 of 2)

cave

Science definitions for cave

cave