# cave

> English word · Noun · IPA /keɪv/ · frequency rank #5,108

## Definitions
1. A large, naturally-occurring cavity formed underground or in the face of a cliff or a hillside.
2. A hole, depression, or gap in earth or rock, whether natural or man-made.
3. A storage cellar, especially for wine or cheese.
4. A place of retreat, such as a man cave.
5. A naturally-occurring cavity in bedrock which is large enough to be entered by an adult.
6. A shielded area where nuclear experiments can be carried out.
7. Debris, particularly broken rock, which falls into a drill hole and interferes with drilling.
8. A collapse or cave-in.
9. The vagina.
10. A group that breaks from a larger political party or faction on a particular issue.
11. Any hollow place, or part; a cavity.
12. A code cave.

## Etymology
From Middle English cave, borrowed from Old French cave, from Latin cava (“cavity”), from cavus (“hollow”). Cognate with Tocharian B kor (“throat”), Albanian cup (“odd, uneven”), Ancient Greek κύαρ (kúar, “eye of needle, earhole”), Old Armenian սոր (sor, “hole”), Sanskrit शून्य (śūnya, “empty, barren, zero”). Displaced native Old English sċræf. More at cavum, cavus and cage.

## Easily confused with
- **CE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-ce)
- **CV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-cv)
- **cue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-cue)
- **che** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-che)
- **CVS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-cvs)
- **Civ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-civ)
- **Coe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-coe)
- **cee** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-cee)
- **CME** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-cme)
- **CTE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-cte)
- **CBE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-cbe)
- **Cov** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-cov)
- **cay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-cay)
- **CSE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-cse)
- **CVD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-cvd)
- **CMV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-cmv)
- **caw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-caw)
- **come** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-come)
- **code** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-code)
- **core** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cave-vs-core)

## Common misspellings (5)
`acve`, `caev`, `cavve`, `ccave`, `cvae`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cave