%cava%

n. [ F. cavalier, It. cavaliere, LL. caballarius, fr. L. caballus. See Cavalcade, and cf. Chevalier, Caballine. ] 1. A military man serving on horseback; a knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A gay, sprightly, military man; hence, a gallant. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. One of the court party in the time of king Charles I. as contrasted with a Roundhead or an adherent of Parliament. Clarendon. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Fort.) A work of more than ordinary height, rising from the level ground of a bastion, etc., and overlooking surrounding parts. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. offhand; unceremonious; gay; easy; frank. Opposed to serious. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

The plodding, persevering scupulous accuracy of the one, and the easy, cavalier, verbal fluency of the other, form a complete contrast. Hazlitt. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. High-spirited. [ Obs. ] “The people are naturally not valiant, and not much cavalier.” Suckling. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Supercilious; haughty; disdainful; curt; brusque. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Of or pertaining to the party of King Charles I. “An old Cavalier family.” Beaconsfield. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Somewhat like a cavalier. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The practice or principles of cavaliers. Sir. W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a supercilious, disdainful, or haughty manner; arrogantly. Junius. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A disdainful manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ Sp. caballero. See Cavalier. ] A cavalier; a gallant; a libertine. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Pg. cavalla a kind of fish; Sp. caballa; prob. fr. Pg. cavallo horse, Sp. caballa. ] (Zool.) A carangoid fish of the Atlantic coast (Caranx hippos): -- called also horse crevallé. [ See Illust. under Carangoid. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. cavalerie, fr. It. cavalleria. See Cavalier, and cf. chivalry. ] (Mil.) That part of military force which serves on horseback. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Heavy cavalry and light cavalry are so distinguished by the character of their armament, and by the size of the men and horses. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Cavalrymen One of a body of cavalry. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a stout sword with a curved blade and thick back.
Syn. -- saber, sabre. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. [ It. ] (Mus.) Originally, a melody of simpler form than the aria; a song without a second part and a da capo; -- a term now variously and vaguely used. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of making concave. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Excavated p. pr. & vb. n. Excavating ] [ L. excavatus, p. p. of excavare to excavate; ex out + cavare to make hollow, cavus hollow. See Cave. ] 1. To hollow out; to form cavity or hole in; to make hollow by cutting, scooping, or digging; as, to excavate a ball; to excavate the earth. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To form by hollowing; to shape, as a cavity, or anything that is hollow; as, to excavate a canoe, a cellar, a channel. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Engin.) To dig out and remove, as earth. [ 1913 Webster ]

The material excavated was usually sand. E. L. Corthell. [ 1913 Webster ]

Excavating pump, a kind of dredging apparatus for excavating under water, in which silt and loose material mixed with water are drawn up by a pump. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. excavatio: cf. F. excavation. ] 1. The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A cavity formed by cutting, digging, or scooping. “A winding excavation.” Glover. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Engin.) (a) An uncovered cutting in the earth, in distinction from a covered cutting or tunnel. (b) The material dug out in making a channel or cavity. [ 1913 Webster ]

The delivery of the excavations at a distance of 250 feet. E. L. Corthell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, excavates or hollows out; a machine, as a dredging machine, or a tool, for excavating. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. incavatus, p. p. of incavare to make hollow: pref in- in + cavare to hollow out, fr. cavus hollow. ] Made hollow; bent round or in. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Act of making hollow; also, a hollow; an excavation; a depression. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. (Zool.) A small Brazilian monkey (Callithrix torquatus), -- called also collared teetee. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Postcavæ . [ NL. See Post-, and Cave, n. ] (Anat.) The inferior vena cava. -- Post"ca`val a. B. G. Wilder. [1913 Webster]

‖n. [ NL. See Pre-, and 1st Cave. ] (Anat.) The superior vena cava. -- Præ"ca`val a. B. G. Wilder. [1913 Webster]

n.; pl. E. saxicavas L. Saxicavae [ NL. See Saxicavous. ] (Zool.) Any species of marine bivalve shells of the genus Saxicava. Some of the species are noted for their power of boring holes in limestone and similar rocks. [ 1913 Webster ]