noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The scientific study of caves. uncountable, usually
2. 2
   the pastime of exploring caves wordnet
3. 3
   The recreational activity of exploring caves. uncountable, usually
4. 4
   the scientific study of caves wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

spelaeology

Etymology

From French spéléologie, coined by Émile Rivière in 1890. The word can be broken down as speleo- + -logy.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.