cavity

[ kav-i-tee ]

/ ˈkæv ɪ ti /

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noun, plural cav·i·ties.

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.

Nearby words

caving, cavitary, cavitation, cavite, cavitis, cavity, cavity block, cavity resonator, cavity wall, cavo-relievo, cavogram

Origin of cavity

1535–45; < Middle French cavite < Late Latin cavitās hollowness, equivalent to Latin cav(us) hollow + -itās -ity

SYNONYMS FOR cavity

1 See hole.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cavity ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

cav·i·tied, adjectivesub·cav·i·ty, noun, plural sub·cav·i·ties.un·cav·i·tied, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for cavity

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 Security|Winston Ross|May 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In police work, that's called a custody search that includes everything short of a cavity search.
The Danger of Airport Pat-Downs|Bill Richardson|October 30, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The cavity or chamber of this cavern is about 100 feet across in each direction.
Archeological Investigations|Gerard Fowke
He perceived that the phaen had aer head in a cavity and was scrutinising something, and waited for aer to reappear.
A Voyage to Arcturus|David Lindsay

For the chuck the upper part of the cavity of a metal cylinder is bored out so as to fit on the driving spindle.
Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II|Joshua Rose
This may be most readily observed at the organ of Love of Stimulus, immediately in front of the cavity of the ear.
Buchanan's Journal of Man, July 1887|Various
Cavity rather deep, very acute; Stem medium to short, slender.
American Pomology|J. A. Warder

British Dictionary definitions for cavity

cavity

/ (ˈkævɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

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

Word Origin for cavity

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