— cavelike , adj.
/kayv/ , n. , v. , caved, caving .
n.
1. a hollow in the earth, esp. one opening more or less horizontally into a hill, mountain, etc.
2. a storage cellar, esp. for wine.
3. Eng. Hist. a secession, or a group of seceders, from a political party on some special question.
v.t.
4. to hollow out.
5. Mining.
a. to cause (overlying material) to fall into a stope, sublevel, or the like.
b. to cause (supports, as stulls or sets) to collapse beneath overlying material.
c. to fill (a stope or the like) with caved-in material: sub-level caving.
v.i.
6. to cave in.
7. cave in ,
a. to fall in; collapse.
b. to cause to fall in or collapse.
c. Informal. to yield; submit; surrender: The opposition caved in before our superior arguments.
[ 1175-1225; ME cava (fem. sing.), L cava, neut. pl. of cavum hole, n. use of neut. of cavus hollow ]