cavern
Deep stone hollow
A cavern is a large cave, typically underground and formed by natural geological processes.
The word suggests something more spacious and dramatic than an ordinary cave—a vast hollow in rock or earth: The cavern echoed with dripping water.
Cavernous describes anything resembling such a space: a cavernous warehouse, a cavernous mouth.
Scientific study of caves
- spelunkerRecreational cave explorer
- grottoSmall scenic cavern
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
- passageSegment of text
caving · headlamp · rappelling · crawlspace · mapping · expedition · descent · squeeze
Enclosed room or cavity
- abyssImmeasurably profound depth
- depthsLowest or innermost regions
- voidWithout legal effect
- expanseUnbroken area of space
immense · spacious · hollow · cathedral · gallery · dome · chasm · towering
Hanging cave mineral deposit
- stalagmiteUpward-growing cave deposit
- limestoneCarbonate sedimentary rock
- karstEroded soluble rock terrain
- calciteCrystalline calcium carbonate
flowstone · dripstone · selenite · sinkhole · geode · fissure · bedrock · mineral
Amplified oscillation at natural frequency
- reverberationProlonged reflected sound
- acousticsStudy of sound transmission
- soundwaveTraveling pressure disturbance
- drippingRendered cooking fat
whisper · amplification · vibration · rumble · boom · silence · hollow · chamber
Dark areas from blocked light
- darknessTotal absence of light
- unknownNot yet discovered
- labyrinthIntricate passage network
- legendUnverified traditional tale
secrets · hidden · depths · gloom · eerie · haunting · lost · forbidden
Flying mammal or sports club
- cavefishEyeless aquatic cave dweller
- troglodyteCave-dwelling person
- guanoAccumulated bird droppings
- colonyDependent territorial settlement
roost · salamander · cricket · spider · blind · adapted · ecosystem · darkness
Before documented civilization
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
- fossilsPreserved ancient organism traces
- paleolithicEarliest tool-making period
- neolithicFinal Stone Age period
petroglyphs · artifacts · megafauna · Lascaux · Altamira · shelter · dwelling · burial
speleology
Scientific study of caves
passage · caving · headlamp · rappelling · crawlspace · mapping · expedition · descent · squeeze · traverse
chamber
Enclosed room or cavity
expanse · immense · spacious · hollow · cathedral · gallery · dome · chasm · towering · darkness
stalactite
Hanging cave mineral deposit
- stalagmiteUpward-growing cave deposit
- limestoneCarbonate sedimentary rock
- karstEroded soluble rock terrain
calcite · flowstone · dripstone · selenite · sinkhole · geode · fissure · bedrock · mineral · sediments
resonance
Amplified oscillation at natural frequency
- reverberationProlonged reflected sound
- acousticsStudy of sound transmission
- soundwaveTraveling pressure disturbance
dripping · whisper · amplification · vibration · rumble · boom · silence · hollow · chamber · voice
shadows
Dark areas from blocked light
legend · secrets · hidden · depths · gloom · eerie · haunting · lost · forbidden · whispers
bat
Flying mammal or sports club
- cavefishEyeless aquatic cave dweller
- troglodyteCave-dwelling person
- guanoAccumulated bird droppings
colony · roost · salamander · cricket · spider · blind · adapted · ecosystem · darkness · hibernation
prehistoric
Before documented civilization
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
- fossilsPreserved ancient organism traces
- paleolithicEarliest tool-making period
neolithic · petroglyphs · artifacts · megafauna · Lascaux · Altamira · shelter · dwelling · burial · ritual
lair
Animal's hidden dwelling
sanctuary · retreat · haven · concealment · hermit · dwelling · protection · seclusion · hideaway · bunker
- cavescaves, grotto, grottos, grottoes, ancient caves
- landformsmountain, cliff, valley, volcano, mountain ridge
- natural landmarksbeach, waterfall, canyon, mountain, lake
- undergroundunderground, subterranean, tunnels, tunnel, underground passages
- underground spacesbasement, cellar, tunnel, mine, vault
- underground thingssoil, bedrock, aquifer, groundwater, tunnel
- cave inCollapse or yield
- cave paintingPrehistoric art on stone
- man cavePrivate male hangout space
- cave diversUnderwater cavern explorers
- cave formationsMineral structures in caverns
- cave artPrehistoric images on stone