Meanings
nouncavity (plural cavities)
plural cavities
- A hole or hollow depression in a solid object.
- businessThe female part of a mold: the depression itself or (metonymically) the half of the mold that contains it.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA small or large hole in a tooth caused by caries; often also a soft area adjacent to the hole also affected by caries.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
nounsoft decayed area in a tooth; progressive decay can lead to the death of a tooth
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Late Latincavitās
- Middle Frenchcavité
- Englishcavity
From Middle French cavité or Late Latin cavitās, from cav(i) (“hollow, excavated, concave”) + -tās (“-ity”, nominal suffix). First attested in the Mid-16th c.
More words from Middle French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans holte, liggaamsholte
- holtehollow area within the body
- liggaamsholtehollow area within the body
Ancient Greek νηδύς, βρῶμα
- νηδύς (nēdús)hollow area within the body
- βρῶμα (brôma)hole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- κοίλωμα (koílōma)hole or hollow depression
Arabic تَجْوِيف
- تَجْوِيف (tajwīf)hollow area within the body
Bulgarian кухина, кариес
- кухина (kuhina)hollow area within the body
- кариес (karies)hole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- дупка (dupka)hole or hollow depression
- вдлъбнатина (vdlăbnatina)hole or hollow depression
Catalan cavitat, càries
- cavitathollow area within the body
- càrieshole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- cavitathole or hollow depression
Chinese Mandarin 腔, 蟲牙 /虫牙
- 腔 (qiāng)hollow area within the body
- 蟲牙 /虫牙 (chóngyá)hole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- 孔穴hole or hollow depression
- 空腔 (kōngqiāng)hole or hollow depression
Czech dutina, dutina
- dutinahollow area within the body
- dutinahole or hollow depression
Danish hul
- hulhole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
Dutch gaatje, gat
- gaatjehole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- gathole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
Esperanto kario
- kariohole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
Estonian õõs, õõnsus
- õõshollow area within the body
- õõnsushollow area within the body
- hambaaukhole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- hambamädanikhole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- sööbikhole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- Sööbik (the Karius by Thorbjørn Egner)hole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- aukhole or hollow depression
- tühimikhole or hollow depression
- õõnsushole or hollow depression
- süvishole or hollow depression
- lohkhole or hollow depression
- mõlkhole or hollow depression
Finnish hammasreikä, reikä
- hammasreikähole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- reikähole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- karieshole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- hammasmätähole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- onkalohole or hollow depression
- ontelohole or hollow depression
- aukkohole or hollow depression
French carie
- cariehole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
German Höhle, Hohlraum
- Höhlehollow area within the body
- Hohlraumhollow area within the body
- Karieshole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- Lochhole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- Hohlraumhole or hollow depression
- Gravurhole or hollow depression
- Aushöhlunghole or hollow depression
- Lochhole or hollow depression
Greek κοιλότητα, κουφάλα
- κοιλότητα (koilótita)hollow area within the body
- κουφάλα (koufála)hole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- τρύπα (trýpa)hole or hollow depression
Hebrew חָלָל, עַשֶּׁשֶׁת
- חָלָל (ḥalál)hollow area within the body
- עַשֶּׁשֶׁת ('ashéshet)hole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- חור (khor)hole or hollow depression
Hungarian üreg, testüreg
- üreghollow area within the body
- testüreghollow area within the body
- lyukhole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- foglyukhole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- üreghole or hollow depression
- odúhole or hollow depression
- lyukhole or hollow depression
- mélyedéshole or hollow depression
Irish cuas, cuasán
- cuashollow area within the body
- cuasánhollow area within the body
Italian cavità, carie
- cavitàhollow area within the body
- cariehole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- cavitàhole or hollow depression
- alveolohole or hollow depression
- incavohole or hollow depression
Japanese 腔, 虫歯
- 腔 (kō)hollow area within the body
- 虫歯 (mushiba)hole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- 空洞 (kūdō)hole or hollow depression
Korean 강, 공동
- 강 (gang)hollow area within the body
- 공동 (gongdong)hollow area within the body
- 충치 (chungchi)hole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- 구멍 (gumeong)hole or hollow depression
Latin cavea, lacūna
- caveahollow area within the body
- lacūnahole or hollow depression
Latvian dobums, dobums
- dobumshollow area within the body
- dobumshole or hollow depression
Malay kaviti
- kavitihole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
Māori pakohu, arearenga
- pakohuhole or hollow depression
- arearengahole or hollow depression
Polish ubytek, wydrążenie
- ubytekhole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- wydrążeniehole or hollow depression
- dziurahole or hollow depression
Portuguese cavidade, cárie
- cavidadehollow area within the body
- cáriehole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- cavidadehole or hollow depression
Romanian cavitate, gaură
- cavitatehole or hollow depression
- gaurăhole or hollow depression
Russian по́лость, ка́риес
- по́лость (pólostʹ)hollow area within the body
- ка́риес (kárijes)hole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- впа́дина (vpádina)hole or hollow depression
- дыра́ (dyrá)hole or hollow depression
- я́ма (jáma)hole or hollow depression
Spanish cavidad, caries
- cavidadhollow area within the body
- carieshole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- cavidadhole or hollow depression
Swedish karies, tandröta
- karieshole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- tandrötahole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
- hålhole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
Thai ฟันผุ
- ฟันผุhole and soft area in tooth caused by caries
Turkish kovuk
- kovukhole or hollow depression
Welsh ceudod, ceudod
- ceudodhollow area within the body
- ceudodhole or hollow depression
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cavity
gravitydepravitymicrogravitysupergravityconcavityintracavitymicrocavityanticavitybiconcavityendocavityminicavitymulticavitynanocavitysubcavity
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
cavity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cavity
MLA
“cavity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cavity. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cavity,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cavity.
Source: cavity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.