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cavern

[ kav-ern ]
/ ˈkæv ərn /
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noun
a cave, especially one that is large and mostly underground.
Pathology. a cavity that is produced by disease, especially one produced in the lungs by tuberculosis.
verb (used with object)
to enclose in or as if in a cavern.
to hollow out to form a cavern.
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Origin of cavern

1325–75; Middle English caverne<Latin caverna, equivalent to cav(us) hollow + -erna, as in cisternacistern
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cavern in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cavern

cavern
/ (ˈkævən) /

noun
a cave, esp when large and formed by underground water, or a large chamber in a cave
verb (tr)
to shut in or as if in a cavern
to hollow out

Word Origin for cavern

C14: from Old French caverne, from Latin caverna, from cavus hollow; see cave 1
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

Scientific definitions for cavern

cavern
[ kăv′ərn ]

A large cave.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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