caves
Hollows in rock
Caves are natural underground chambers or hollow spaces in rock, typically formed by water erosion over thousands of years.
They range from small recesses to vast systems of interconnected passages.
People explore caves for recreation (spelunking or caving), and some caves contain valuable archaeological or geological features.
The verb cave means to form a cave or to collapse inward; if you cave in to pressure, you yield or give up resistance.
Hanging cave mineral deposit
- stalagmiteUpward-growing cave deposit
- limestoneCarbonate sedimentary rock
- karstEroded soluble rock terrain
- calciteCrystalline calcium carbonate
formation · chamber · flowstone · dolomite · gypsum · sinkhole · grotto · column
Total absence of light
- silenceTotal lack of sound
- echoReflected sound wave
- shadowsDark areas from blocked light
- dampSlightly wet
chill · dripping · mystery · vastness · void · depths · gloom · stillness
Exploring caves recreationally
- headlampForward-facing vehicle light
- expeditionOrganized exploratory journey
- adventureRisky exciting undertaking
- descentDownward slope or lineage
rappel · belay · rope · climbing · torch · darkness · speleologist · passage
Before documented civilization
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
- paintingsPictures made with pigment
- petroglyphsCarvings on natural stone
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
Lascaux · Altamira · shelter · dwelling · burial · ritual · handprints · ochre
Flying nocturnal mammals
- guanoAccumulated bird droppings
- blindfishEyeless subterranean fish
- salamanderTailed, moist-skinned amphibian
- hibernationProlonged winter dormancy
ecosystem · adaptation · eyeless · albino · colony · roost · fungus · microbe
stalactite
Hanging cave mineral deposit
- stalagmiteUpward-growing cave deposit
- limestoneCarbonate sedimentary rock
- karstEroded soluble rock terrain
calcite · formation · chamber · flowstone · dolomite · gypsum · sinkhole · grotto · column · dripstone
darkness
Total absence of light
damp · chill · dripping · mystery · vastness · void · depths · gloom · stillness · resonance
spelunking
Exploring caves recreationally
- headlampForward-facing vehicle light
- expeditionOrganized exploratory journey
- adventureRisky exciting undertaking
descent · rappel · belay · rope · climbing · torch · darkness · speleologist · passage · crawlspace
prehistoric
Before documented civilization
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
- paintingsPictures made with pigment
- petroglyphsCarvings on natural stone
artifacts · Lascaux · Altamira · shelter · dwelling · burial · ritual · handprints · ochre · ancestors
bats
Flying nocturnal mammals
- guanoAccumulated bird droppings
- blindfishEyeless subterranean fish
- salamanderTailed, moist-skinned amphibian
hibernation · ecosystem · adaptation · eyeless · albino · colony · roost · fungus · microbe · invertebrate
underworld
Realm of the departed
dragons · trolls · sacred · oracle · hermit · Plato · allegory · folklore · supernatural · treasure
- nature scienceanimals, plants, insects, butterflies, caterpillars
- US geographystates, capitals, state boundaries, state lines, regions
- game environmentsdungeons, arenas, mazes, open worlds, labyrinths
- earth scienceatmosphere, earthquake, geology, volcano, crust
- BelgiumBrussels, Belgium, Flanders, Antwerp, Bruges
- European LandformsAlps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, Danube, Rhine
cavesopen air
Unenclosed outdoor space
open fields · open ground · clearings · plains · outdoors
cavesholds
Keeps in possession
resists · withstands · endures · reinforces · strengthens
- cave inCollapse or yield
- caved inCollapsed or capitulated
- cave paintingPrehistoric art on stone
- caving inCollapsing or surrendering
- man cavePrivate male hangout space
- cave diversUnderwater cavern explorers
cave, cavity, excavate, cavern, excavation, caved, excavator, cavernous, caving