Main Entry: ¹cage

Pronunciation: \ˈkāj\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin cavea cavity, cage, from cavus hollow — more at cave

Date: 13th century

1 : a box or enclosure having some openwork for confining or carrying animals (as birds)
2 a : a barred cell for confining prisoners b : a fenced area for prisoners of war
3 : a framework serving as support <the steel cage of a skyscraper>
4 a : an enclosure resembling a cage in form or purpose <a cashier's cage> b : an arrangement of atoms or molecules so bonded as to enclose a space in which another atom or ion (as of a metal) can reside
5 a : batting cage b : a goal consisting of posts or a frame with a net attached (as in ice hockey)
6 : a large building containing an area for practicing outdoor sports and often adapted for indoor events

— cage·ful \-ˌfu̇l\ noun