cave

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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 spelæus) 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 ]

v. i. 1. To dwell in a cave. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. [ See To cave in, below. ] To fall in or down; as, the sand bank caved. Hence (Slang), to retreat from a position; to give way; to yield in a disputed matter. [ 1913 Webster ]

To cave in. [ Flem. inkalven. ] (a) To fall in and leave a hollow, as earth on the side of a well or pit. (b) To submit; to yield. [ Slang ] H. Kingsley. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Caved p. pr. & vb. n. Caving. ] [ Cf. F. caver. See Cave, n. ] To make hollow; to scoop out. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The mouldred earth cav'd the banke. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L. caved let him beware, pres. subj. of cavere to be on one's guard to, beware. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Law) A notice given by an interested party to some officer not to do a certain act until the party is heard in opposition; as, a caveat entered in a probate court to stop the proving of a will or the taking out of letters of administration, etc. Bouvier. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (U. S. Patent Laws) A description of some invention, designed to be patented, lodged in the patent office before the patent right is applied for, and operating as a bar to the issue of letters patent to any other person, respecting the same invention. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ A caveat is operative for one year only, but may be renewed. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Intimation of caution; warning; protest. [ 1913 Webster ]

We think it right to enter our caveat against a conclusion. Jeffrey. [ 1913 Webster ]

Caveat emptor [ L. ] (Law), let the purchaser beware, i. e., let him examine the article he is buying, and act on his own judgment. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Fencing) Shifting the sword from one side of an adversary's sword to the other. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who enters a caveat. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Leaf tobacco softened, sweetened, and pressed into plugs or cakes. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cut cavendish, the plugs cut into long shreds for smoking. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. caverna, fr. cavus hollow: cf. F. caverne. ] A large, deep, hollow place in the earth; a large cave. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Containing caverns. [ 1913 Webster ]

The wolves yelled on the caverned hill. Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Living in a cavern. “Caverned hermit.” Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]