spelunker

Jun. 17th, 2019 07:54 am
prettygoodword: text: words are sexy (Default)
[personal profile] prettygoodword
spelunker (spi-LUHNG-ker) - n., someone who explores caves.


Especially as a hobby. A usage note tells me that many who do this prefer to be called caver, taking spelunker as derogatory term for a unprepared caver, and several dictionaries note that the British English the term is potholer. Coined in the 1930s by New England cave explorer Roger Charles Johnson, from obsolete spelunk, cave, from Middle English, from Old French spelunque, from Latin spēlunca, from Greek spēlunx, cave. The scientist who studies caves and their formation is a speleologist.

---L.

Date: 2019-06-17 03:33 pm (UTC)
thistleingrey: (Default)
From: [personal profile] thistleingrey
"Caver" is what I heard experienced people say 15 years ago when I tried it a little, yes.

Date: 2019-06-18 02:11 am (UTC)
minoanmiss: A detail of the Ladies in Blue fresco (Default)
From: [personal profile] minoanmiss
That's an interesting development, the negative connotation. It's a bit of a pity, it's such a fun word to say, with that "unk" in the middle.

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