spelunk

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/spəˈlʌŋk//spiːˈlʌŋk/

noun

A cave, cavern or grotto.

Similar
cave
OriginMiddle English spelunke ← Old French spelonque ← Latin spelunca →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

spelunk1

nounspelunk (plural spelunks)

plural spelunks · alternative spelunc

  1. obsoleteA cave, cavern or grotto.

spelunk2

verbspelunk (third-person singular simple present spelunks, present participle spelunking, simple past and past participle spelunked)

present singular third person spelunks · participle present spelunking · participle past spelunked · past spelunked · alternative spelunc

  1. To explore caves.
  2. To explore a system in depth.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
cave

verbexplore natural caves

Similar
cave
Broader
explore
Also see
cave

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

spelunk · noun

  1. Ancient Greekσπῆλυγξ“cave”
  2. Latinspelunca
  3. Old Frenchspelonque
  4. Middle Englishspelunke
  5. Englishspelunk

From Middle English spelunke, from Old French spelonque and/or Latin spelunca, from Ancient Greek σπῆλυγξ (spêlunx, “cave”), related to σπέος (spéos). Cognates include Middle Dutch spelunke, spelonke, German Spelunke.

More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

spelunk · verb

U.S., 1940s. Back-formation from spelunker.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish tutkia luolia
  • tutkia luoliato explore caves
Hungarian barlangászik
  • barlangászikto explore caves
Polish penetrować jaskinie, spenetrować jaskinie
  • penetrować jaskinieto explore caves
  • spenetrować jaskinieto explore caves
Russian иссле́довать пещеры, занима́ться спелеологией
  • иссле́довать пещеры (isslédovatʹ peščery)to explore caves
  • занима́ться спелеологией (zanimátʹsja speleologijej)to explore caves
Spanish hacer espeleología
  • hacer espeleologíato explore caves

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with spelunk

trunkfunkjunkunchunkchunkbunkdunkshrunksplunkcrunkthunkdebunkgunkplunkflunkslunkkerplunkdegunkfrunk
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

spelunk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spelunk

MLA

“spelunk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spelunk. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spelunk,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spelunk.

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