caves

Noun

cave (plural caves)

1. A large, naturally-occurring cavity formed underground or in the face of a cliff or a hillside.
   • We found a cave on the mountainside where we could take shelter.
2. A hole, depression, or gap in earth or rock, whether natural or man-made.
   • Every boy at one time or another has dug a cave; I suppose because ages and ages ago his ancestors had to live in caves, […]1918, Edward Alfred Steiner, Uncle Joe's Lincoln, page 52
3. A storage cellar, especially for wine or cheese.
   • This wine has been aged in our cave for thirty years.
4. A place of retreat, such as a man cave.
   • My room was a cozy cave where I could escape from my family.
5. A naturally-occurring cavity in bedrock which is large enough to be entered by an adult.
   • It was not strictly a cave, but a narrow fissure in the rock.
6. (nuclear physics) A shielded area where nuclear experiments can be carried out.
   • These potential radiation fields or radioactive material levels may be the result of normal operations (ie, radiation in a target cave) […]1986, National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, Radiation Alarms and Access Control Systems, →ISBN, page 45

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