cavern

C3A1V4E1R1N1
UK/ˈkav.ən/UK/ˈkav.n̩/US/ˈkæv.ɚn/US/ˈkæv.ɹən/

noun

A large cave.

“a dark cavern of a shop”

Similar
hollowcavecavern out
OriginMiddle English caverne ← Old French caverne ← Latin caverna →
Less commonScrabble 11
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Meanings

nouncavern (plural caverns)

plural caverns

  1. A large cave.
  2. An underground chamber.

    In Xanadu did Kubla Khan / A stately pleasure-dome decree: / Where Alph, the sacred river, ran / Through caverns measureless to man / Down to a sunless sea.

    1797, S[amuel] T[aylor] Coleridge, “Kubla Khan: Or A Vision in a Dream”, in Christabel: Kubla Khan, a Vision: The Pains of Sleep, London: […] John Murray, […], by William Bulmer and Co. […], published 1816, →OCLC, page 55
  3. A large, dark place or space.

    a dark cavern of a shop

verbcavern (third-person singular simple present caverns, present participle caverning, simple past and past participle caverned)

present singular third person caverns · participle present caverning · participle past caverned · past caverned

  1. transitiveTo form a cavern or deep depression in.

    catacombs caverning the hillsides

    Synonyms: hollow, cave

  2. transitiveTo put into a cavern.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo form a cavern or deep depression in.

Similar
hollowcave

More synonyms by meaning

verbhollow out as if making a cavern

Similar
cavern out
Broader
hollowhollow outcore out
Also see
boxbuttonholecrackfish lipsgapgirlpussyhoneypotjing-janglove nestmuffmuffinpink canoepremisespumppussytoytwinklevadgevaginavajayva-jay-jayvickyvictoriavirginia

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latincaverna“hollow, cavity, cave”
  2. Old Frenchcaverne
  3. Middle Englishcaverne
  4. Englishcavern

From Middle English caverne, borrowing from Old French caverne, from Latin caverna (“hollow, cavity, cave”), from cavus (“hollow, excavated, concave”).

More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian пещера, пещерна зала
  • пещера (peštera)large cave
  • пещерна зала (pešterna zala)underground chamber
Catalan caverna, caverna
  • cavernalarge cave
  • cavernaunderground chamber
Chinese Mandarin 大山洞, 地下深處 /地下深处
  • 大山洞 (dà shāndòng)large cave
  • 地下深處 /地下深处 (dìxià shēnchù)underground chamber
Dutch grot, krocht
  • grotlarge cave
  • krochtlarge cave
  • hollarge cave
Esperanto kaverno
  • kavernolarge cave
Finnish luola, luola
  • luolalarge cave
  • luolaunderground chamber
French caverne, grotte
  • cavernelarge cave
  • grottelarge cave
German große Höhle, Grotte
  • große Höhlelarge cave
  • Grottelarge cave
  • Kaverneunderground chamber
Hungarian kaverna
  • kavernalarge cave
Latin caverna, antrum
  • cavernalarge cave
  • antrumlarge cave
  • specuslarge cave
  • cavernaunderground chamber
Polish jaskinia
  • jaskinialarge cave
Portuguese caverna, caverna
  • cavernalarge cave
  • cavernaunderground chamber
Romanian cavernă, peșteră
  • cavernălarge cave
  • peșterălarge cave
  • grotălarge cave
Russian пеще́ра, грот
  • пеще́ра (peščéra)large cave
  • грот (grot)large cave
  • каве́рна (kavérna)underground chamber
Spanish caverna, caverna
  • cavernalarge cave
  • cavernaunderground chamber
Swedish grotta, bergrum
  • grottalarge cave
  • bergrumunderground chamber
  • grottrumunderground chamber
  • grottkammareunderground chamber
  • jordkulaunderground chamber
Turkish büyük mağara
  • büyük mağaralarge cave

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with cavern

tavernklavernmesocavern
All rhymes →

Anagrams

cravencarven
Cite this entry
APA

cavern. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cavern

MLA

“cavern.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cavern. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cavern,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cavern.

Source: cavern on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.