Etymology Explorer › Serbo-Croatian

Where does “špelunka” come from?

špelunka (Serbo-Croatian) comes from German Spelunke, from Latin spēlunca, from Ancient Greek σπῆλυγξ, from Ancient Greek σπέος — cave, cavern, grotto.

špelunka (Serbo-Croatian): A dark, unpleasant, cavern-like room or building,...

Definitions

  1. A dark, unpleasant, cavern-like room or building,...

Ancestry of “špelunka”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanSpelunkebar; shack
2Latinspēlunca—
3Ancient Greekσπῆλυγξcave
4Ancient Greekσπέοςcave, cavern, grotto
Every word from Ancient Greek σπέος →