adj
Meaning 1
Resembling a cavern in size, shape, or atmosphere.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: cavelike
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
cavernous
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkav.ən.əs/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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General-American: /ˈkæv.ɚ.nəs/
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rhymes with -ævə(ɹ)nəs
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CMU ARPABET: K AE1 V ER0 N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Resembling a cavern in size, shape, or atmosphere.
Giving the impression of vast, dark depths.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- cavernous eyes
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: cavelike
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Having many caverns.
Composed largely of vascular sinuses and capable of dilating with blood to bring about the erection of a body part.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: anatomy, biology, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences, zoology, zootomy
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 4
Having many caverns.
Having cavities.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: dentistry, medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
filled with vascular sinuses and capable of becoming distended and rigid as the result of being filled with blood
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- erectile tissue
- the penis is an erectile organ
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: erectile
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 6
being or suggesting a cavern
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- vast cavernous chambers hollowed out of limestone
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Late Middle English cavernous, cavernose, borrowing from Old French caverneux or Latin cavernōsus (“full of hollows or cavities”), from caverna (“a hollow, cavity, cave”) + -ōsus (“-ous, -ose”, adjectival suffix); equivalent to cavern + -ous.
Across languages
Translations
9 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Māori: areare — resembling a cavern
- Polish: jamisty — resembling a cavern
- Portuguese: cavernoso — resembling a cavern
- Spanish: cavernoso — resembling a cavern
- French: caverneux — having many caverns
- Greek: σπηλαιώδης (spilaiódis) — having many caverns
- Middle English: cavernous — having many caverns
- Polish: jamisty — having many caverns
- Portuguese: cavernoso — having many caverns