spelunker

noun

spe·​lunk·​er spi-ˈləŋ-kər 

ˈspē-ˌləŋ-

: one who makes a hobby of exploring and studying caves

Did you know?

Spelunker sounds like the noise a pebble makes when you drop it down a deep hole and into dark, hidden water far below. But there's nothing dark or obscure about the etymology of the term. We borrowed "spelunker" from Latin spelunca, which in turn derives from Greek spelynx. When you get to the bottom of things, you find that both the Latin and Greek words mean "cave." Although "spelunker" might sound neat, be careful: some cave-exploring enthusiasts prefer the term "caver."

Examples of spelunker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But in 2020, a group of spelunkers and ecologists, including Dr. Manenti, spotted an olm swimming in an aboveground spring. —Elizabeth Anne Brown, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024

Indiana’s bat populations are under pressure, and the Hoosier National Forest is reminding would-be spelunkers to stay out of caves until May. —Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2024

Some professional spelunkers had expressed incredulity at the notion that the experience had been easy. —D. T. Max, The New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2024

The Motril spelunkers drop a luminescent bottle through a hole in the cave roof with a handwritten message explaining the problem. —D. T. Max, The New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2024

Emotional intelligence has turned her into a spelunker. —Jesse Green, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2023

Mark Dickey, the 40-year-old American spelunker who fell ill while exploring a cave in Turkey last week, is set to start a slow ascent Friday, with the help of an international team of more than 200 rescuers. —Andrew Jeong, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2023

In 2014, more than 700 specialists rescued German spelunker Johann Westhauser, who was trapped for 12 days in one of Europe's deepest cave systems. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2023

Come up with a name for a travel package for fellow solitude-seeking spelunkers. —The Week Staff, The Week, 21 Apr. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Latin spēlunca "cave" (borrowed from Greek spēlynk-, stem of spêlynx "cave") + -er entry 2 — more at speleology

Note: Word popularized, if not coined, by the author and outdoorsman Clair Willard Perry ("Clay Perry," 1887-1961), perhaps earliest in Underground New England (Brattleboro, VT: Stephen Daye Press, 1939), p. 219: "There is an informal caveman's club in New England, a group of men and boys who for several years have been making a more or less systematic study of the caves and old mines of the country, extending their research throughout eastern New York state as well. They call themselves 'spelunkers,' taking the name from the snappy Latin title for a cave, 'spelunka,' and from the high-sounding British caveman's club which is 'British Speleological Association'."

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

spelunker

noun

spe·​lunk·​er spi-ˈləŋ-kər 

ˈspē-ˌləŋ-

: a person who explores or studies caves

spelunking

-kiŋ

noun