A Cavern Is a Cave With Ambition
A cavern is a large cave. The words are close cousins, and one carries a sense of scale the other does not.
A cavern is a large cave, particularly one with chambers underground. The two words come from the same Latin *cavus*, hollow, but English uses them differently: any hollow in rock is a cave, while cavern implies size and depth. Geologists rarely use cavern at all, preferring cave and *cave system*.
- A large cave. *An underground cavern.*
- Cavernous — vast and hollow. *A cavernous hall.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | cavern | A limestone cavern. |
| Plural | caverns | Deep caverns. |
| Adjective | cavernous | A cavernous space. |
| Related | cave | A sea cave. |
| Related | cavity | A tooth cavity. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The cavern opened into three chambers.Scale.
- The hall was cavernous and cold.Figurative.
- Most caverns form in limestone.Geology.
Cave formations
- Stalactite — hangs from the ceiling; it holds *tight*
- Stalagmite — rises from the ground; it *might* reach the top
- Column — the two meeting
- Flowstone — sheets deposited by running water
- Karst — the limestone landscape where caves form
From Old French *caverne*, from Latin *caverna*, from *cavus*, hollow — the same root as *cave*, *cavity* and *excavate*.
Cave or cavern?
A cavern is a large cave, usually with chambers. Cave is the general and scientific term.
Stalactite or stalagmite?
Stalactites hang from the ceiling, stalagmites grow from the floor. The C and G are a useful memory aid.