Word.ws English Dictionary

cataphile

Syllables: ca·ta·phile/ˈkætəfaɪl/

cataphile noun: a type of urban explorer who visits the ancient catacombs and quarries linked by tunnels beneath Paris, France.

cataphile: a type of urban explorer who visits the ancient catacombs and quarries linked by tunnels beneath...
Image: Rc1959, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

cataphile (plural cataphiles)

  1. A type of urban explorer who visits the ancient catacombs and quarries linked by tunnels beneath Paris, France.
    • At a time when being "in" has meant staying in at night, the city's catacombs, the Gallo-Roman-vintage quarries from which Paris was built, have managed to lure le tout Paris, now known as cataphiles, troglos, and nouvelles taupes ("moles")—and la salle Z, fifteen chambers in the 250 kilometers of...[1984 April 23, Christina de Liagre, “Fast Track: The French Underground”, in New York, New York, N.Y.: New York Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 32, columns 1–3
    • Philip, who uses only his first name, said: "This world is divided into two races, the tourists and the cataphiles. The tourists are a hated race. … You have to do everything to chase them out." […] "There have always been cataphiles, but perhaps in the past they were more respectful," [Michel]...1988 October 28, Elaine Ganley, “Cataphiles haunt city of darkness under Parisian streets”, in Jim Butler, editor, Alexandria Daily Town Talk (Section C (Living)), volume 105, number 226, Alexandria...
  2. (broadly) An individual who explores subterranean catacombs, mines, or quarries.
    • Urban exploration has many subcultures, each with its own fetishes and slang. There are rooftoppers, builderers, cataphiles and those with a taste for "ruin porn" – artfully lit photos of decaying masonry and Rorschach water stains.2013 December 2, Peter Ross, “Exploring derelict Scotland with urban explorers”, in The Scotsman, Edinburgh: The Scotsman Publications, JPIMedia Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original...

Examples of cataphile in a sentence

  • Philip, who uses only his first name, said: "This world is divided into two races, the tourists and the cataphiles.1988 October 28, Elaine Ganley, “Cataphiles haunt city of darkness under Parisian streets”, in Jim Butler, editor, Alexandria Daily Town...
  • Cataphiles young and old dig new holes and cut through the locks at night to roam around and hold parties and raves. […] Cataphiles share a few well-guarded secrets.1995 April 25, Mark Franchetti, “Tales of the city: Paris: Terror by torchlight: Rotting catacombs are a playground for French youth”, in...
  • Notre Dame de dessous la terre [artwork by Damien Jacob, text by Jean-Pierre Pécau, 2001]: […] The artist is a former cataphile, and the series is replete with subterranean history and folklore.2005, David L. Pike, “The Modern Necropolis”, in Subterranean Cities: The World Beneath Paris and London, 1800-1945, Ithaca, N.Y.; London...
  • Unlike a cataphile, being that far below the surface felt extremely unnatural.2007, Valerie Broadwell, “The Cataphiles”, in City of Light, City of Dark: Exploring Paris Below, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN, page...

Forms of cataphile

pluralcataphiles

Origin of cataphile

PIE word *ḱóm Borrowed from French cataphile, a blend of catacombe (“catacomb”) + -phile (suffix denoting one who loves a thing).

Questions about cataphile

What does cataphile mean?
Cataphile means a type of urban explorer who visits the ancient catacombs and quarries linked by tunnels beneath Paris, France.
How do you use cataphile in a sentence?
Philip, who uses only his first name, said: "This world is divided into two races, the tourists and the cataphiles.
What part of speech is cataphile?
Cataphile is a noun.
How do you pronounce cataphile?
Cataphile is pronounced /ˈkætəfaɪl/ (UK).
What is the plural of cataphile?
The plural of cataphile is cataphiles.

Words near cataphile in the dictionary

  1. catapetalous
  2. cataphasia
  3. cataphasis
  4. cataphatic
  5. cataphatically
  6. cataphile
  7. cataphiles
  8. cataphonic
  9. cataphonics
  10. cataphor
  11. cataphora

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: cataphile (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-cataphile.wav.

Cite this entry: “cataphile.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/cataphile. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.