spelunk

English

WOTD – 28 December 2011

Alternative forms

• spelunc

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spəˈlʌŋk/, /spiːˈlʌŋk/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌŋk

Etymology 1

From Middle English spelunke, from Old French spelonque and/or Latin spelunca, from Ancient Greek σπῆλυγξ (spêlunx, “cave”), related to σπέος (spéos). Cognates include Middle Dutch spelunke, spelonke, German Spelunke.

Noun

spelunk (plural spelunks)

1. (obsolete) A cave, cavern or grotto.

Translations

cave, cavern, grotto — see cave

Etymology 2

U.S., 1940s. Back-formation from spelunker.

Verb

spelunk (third-person singular simple present spelunks, present participle spelunking, simple past and past participle spelunked)

1. To explore caves.
2. To explore a system in depth.

Synonyms

• cave

Derived terms

• spelunking

Translations

to explore caves

• Finnish: tutkia luolia
• Hungarian: barlangászik
• Russian: иссле́довать пещеры (isslédovatʹ peščery), занима́ться спелеологией (zanimátʹsja speleologijej)
• Spanish: hacer espeleología