cataphiles

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
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...