cavern

1 of 2

noun

cav·​ern ˈka-vərn 

 also  -vrən

: cave

especially : one of large or indefinite extent

cavern

2 of 2

verb

caverned; caverning; caverns

transitive verb

1

: to place in or as if in a cavern

2

: to form a cavern of : hollow

—used with out

Synonyms

Noun

• antre
• cave
• delve [archaic]
• grot
• grotto

Examples of cavern in a Sentence

Noun

a cavern with beautiful stalactites

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Descriptions of the different spaces would appear on the terminal, then players would type in two-word commands—a verb followed by a noun—to solve puzzles and navigate the sprawling in-game caverns. —Anna Washenko, Ars Technica, 20 June 2024

For all these tales, Cave-in-Rock was actually a regular stopping point for river travelers, something like a curiosity or tourist attraction, rather than a dangerous cavern to be avoided. —Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 June 2024

Verb

In the hunt, scientists have erected detectors in a South Dakota cavern a mile underground, at the bottom of Lake Baikal in Siberia, under a mountain in Japan, and on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. —Robert Lee Hotz, WSJ, 12 July 2018

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English caverne, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin caverna "hollow space, crevice, tree hole, cave," from cavus "hollow, sunken" + -erna, noun-forming suffix of uncertain origin — more at hole entry 1

Verb

derivative of cavern entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cavern

noun

cav·​ern

ˈkav-ərn

: a cave often of large or unknown size

Medical Definition

cavern

noun

cav·​ern ˈkav-ərn 

: a cavity (as in the lung) caused by disease