cavern

[ kav-ern ]

noun

1. a cave, especially one that is large and mostly underground.
2. Pathology. a cavity that is produced by disease, especially one produced in the lungs by tuberculosis.

verb (used with object)

1. to enclose in or as if in a cavern.
2. to hollow out to form a cavern.

cavern

/ ˈkævən /

noun

1. a cave, esp when large and formed by underground water, or a large chamber in a cave

verb

1. to shut in or as if in a cavern
2. to hollow out

cavern

/ kăv′ərn /

1. A large cave.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cavern¹

1325–75; Middle English caverne < Latin caverna, equivalent to cav ( us ) hollow + -erna, as in cisterna cistern

Word History and Origins

Origin of cavern¹

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

Example Sentences

The concerto is full of sonic imagery that travels above and below ground, down to the rivers in deep caverns and up in the skies to the environmentally threatened toh bird.

From Los Angeles Times

Crews drilled steel pillars deep into the ground, disturbing a fragile ecosystem of thousands of caverns and freshwater sinkholes known as cenotes.

From Los Angeles Times

Created in response to the 1970s energy crisis, the reserve can store up to 700 million barrels of oil, most of it in underground salt caverns.

From Los Angeles Times

As we make our way into the vast cavern, my guide explains how Eberhard dissected samples and sent them to England for analysis.

From Salon

Vaulted Deep’s idea is to inject a slurry of biomass, including different material than used by Graphyte, such as carbon-rich sewage and manure, into empty salt caverns of central Kansas.

From Salon

Related Words

• cave
• grotto
• pothole