from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Cave \Cave\ (k[=a]v), n. [F. cave, L. cavus hollow, whence cavea
cavity. Cf. {Cage}.]
1. A hollow place in the earth, either natural or artificial;
a subterraneous cavity; a cavern; a den.
[1913 Webster]
2. Any hollow place, or part; a cavity. [Obs.] "The cave of
the ear." --Bacon.
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3. (Eng. Politics) A coalition or group of seceders from a
political party, as from the Liberal party in England in
1866. See {Adullam}, {Cave of}, in the Dictionary of Noted
Names in Fiction.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
{Cave bear} (Zool.), a very large fossil bear ({Ursus
spel[ae]us}) similar to the grizzly bear, but large;
common in European caves.
{Cave dweller}, a savage of prehistoric times whose dwelling
place was a cave. --Tylor.
{Cave hyena} (Zool.), a fossil hyena found abundanty in
British caves, now usually regarded as a large variety of
the living African spotted hyena.
{Cave lion} (Zool.), a fossil lion found in the caves of
Europe, believed to be a large variety of the African
lion.
{Bone cave}. See under {Bone}.
[1913 Webster]