cavity
[kav-i-tee]
- any hollow place; hollow.
- Anatomy. a hollow space within the body, an organ, a bone, etc.
- a hollow space or a pit in a tooth, most commonly produced by caries. A cavity may be artificially made to support dental restorations.
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Origin of cavity
1535–45; < Middle French cavite < Late Latin cavitās hollowness, equivalent to Latin cav(us) hollow + -itās -ity
Synonyms
See more synonyms for cavity on Thesaurus.com1. See hole.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for cavity
Contemporary Examples
Take a “cavity bomb,” for example: explosives hidden in rolls of fat, between butt cheeks.
Man’s Airport Strip Meant to Highlight Intrusive and Ineffective TSA SecurityWinston Ross
May 9, 2012
In police work, that's called a custody search that includes everything short of a cavity search.
Historical Examples
Suddenly, he poked his head down to the very bottom of this cavity.
An Old Woman's TaleNathaniel Hawthorne
Within the cavity lay a sword, with a golden hilt, and a pair of sandals.
Tanglewood TalesNathaniel Hawthorne
Then fill up the cavity with marmalade, or with lemon and sugar.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
And he bent forward and compelled her also to stoop over the cavity.
FruitfulnessEmile Zola
One of the peasants was throwing the first shovelful of earth into the cavity.
Abbe Mouret's TransgressionEmile Zola
cavity
- a hollow space; hole
- dentistry a soft decayed area on a toothSee caries
- any empty or hollow space within the bodythe oral cavity
- electronics See cavity resonator
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Word Origin
C16: from French cavité, from Late Latin cavitās, from Latin cavus hollow
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 cavity
n.
1540s, from Middle French cavité (13c.), from Late Latin cavitatem (nominative cavitas) "hollowness," from Latin cavus "hollow" (see cave (n.)).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
cavity
(kăv′ĭ-tē)- A hollow area within the body, such as a sinus cavity.
- A pitted area in a tooth caused by caries.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
cavity
[kăv′ĭ-tē]
- A hollow; a hole.
- A hollow area within the body.
- A pitted area in a tooth caused by caries.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.