Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “spelunke” come from?

spelunke (Middle English) comes from Old French spelonque, from Italian spelonca, from Latin spēlunca, from Ancient Greek σπῆλυγξ, from Ancient Greek σπέος — cave, cavern, grotto.

spelunke (Middle English): A spelunk; a cave or grotto; A gravesite; where...

Definitions

  1. A spelunk; a cave or grotto; A gravesite; where...

Ancestry of “spelunke”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchspelonque—
2Italianspeloncacave, cavern; hovel
3Latinspēlunca—
4Ancient Greekσπῆλυγξcave
5Ancient Greekσπέοςcave, cavern, grotto

Words derived from “spelunke”

  • spelunking
  • spelunker
  • spelunk
Every word from Ancient Greek σπέος →