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
OTHER WORDS FROM cave
cave·like, adjectiveWords nearby cave
cavalryman,
cavan,
cavate,
cavatelli,
cavatina,
cave,
cave art,
cave bear,
cave canem,
cave cricket,
cave dweller
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.
Example sentences from the Web for cave
British Dictionary definitions for cave (1 of 2)
cave
1
/ (keɪv) /
noun
an underground hollow with access from the ground surface or from the sea, often found in limestone areas and on rocky coastlines
(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
2
/ (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!
Scientific 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.