cave
UK: keɪv | US: keɪv
n. a natural underground chamber or series of chambers, typically large enough for a human to enter
v. to explore caves as a hobby (short for "caving")
v. (archaic) to hollow out or surrender (from Latin cavare)
The word "cave" traces back to Latin cavus (hollow), which also gave rise to words like "cavity" and "excavate." The silent "e" in English is a vestige of Old French cave, which borrowed the term from Latin. The core idea of "hollowness" persists across its meanings, from physical hollows (caves) to metaphorical yielding ("caving in" to pressure).
The explorers discovered a hidden cave behind the waterfall.
She loves to cave in the mountains during summer.
The ancient manuscript was found in a remote cave.
The politician refused to cave under public pressure.
The roof began to cave in after the heavy snowfall.