Where does “cave” come from?
Cave comes from Latin cavus meaning hollow, derived from Proto-Indo-European ḱewh₁- meaning to swell or hollow out.
cave (English): A large, naturally-occurring cavity formed...
Definitions
- A large, naturally-occurring cavity formed...
Ancestry of “cave”, step by step
cave traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English cave
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | cave | A cave or cavern |
| 2 | Old French | cave | — |
| 3 | Latin | cava | nominative feminine singular of cavus; nominative... |
| 4 | Latin | cavus | hollow, concave; excavated, channeled;... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | kawos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱowh₁ós | hollow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱewh₁- | to swell; to be strong |
via Latin cavē
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | cavē | — |