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cavity

cavity

40 3.4
A hole in a tooth caused by decay
  • noun
  • /ˈkævɪti/
: caries
  • My husband, on the other hand, has numerous cavities and grew up on "city" water.
  • oral cavity

I'm about to fill my six cavities up with Silver Caps.

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Examples

  • Remember how you were always getting cavities and coming over to have them filled for free?

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Too much sugar can lead to a cavity, so it's important to brush your teeth regularly.

  • Why is it every time I have a cavity, you know it before I do?

  • It's not often I get a grown up in here with a cavity this bad.

  • You have a cavity on one of your lower right molars.

  • The dentist says she has perfect teeth; there isn't a cavity in her mouth.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I'm about to fill my six cavities up with Silver Caps.

  • I think I've got a cavity in a rear molar.

  • My mother would drag out her calendar and schedule the cavity-filling visits at weekly intervals.

    Blog text (12)
  • Did he brush with Crest to prevent cavities?

Synonyms

tooth decay
vscavity
  • Specialized
7 2.2

Damage to a tooth's hard surface caused by bacteria that often makes a hole

is the local soft damaged spot formed by that destructive process
caries
vscavity
  • Specialized
1 8.1

A hole or soft spot on a tooth caused by bacteria

is the single soft damaged spot, not the broader decay condition
dental caries
vscavity
  • Specialized
1 4.1

Tooth decay caused by germs that makes a tooth soft and damaged

is the local soft damaged spot rather than the disease process

Compounds

11 3.6

The space inside the chest that holds the heart and lungs

abdominal cavity
  • Specialized
5 5.1

A large space inside the body below the chest that holds the stomach and other organs

nasal cavity
  • Specialized
5 4.2

One of the two hollow spaces inside the nose that lead to the throat and help breathing and smelling

oral cavity
  • Specialized
2 3.9

A space inside your mouth where you put food and make speech sounds

thoracic cavity
  • Specialized
2 5.9

The space inside the chest between the ribs and the diaphragm that holds the heart and lungs

pleural cavity
  • Specialized
1 6.4

The space inside the chest around the lungs between two thin layers

cranial cavity
  • Specialized
1 5.3

Space inside the skull that holds the brain

peritoneal cavity
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A space inside the belly between thin tissue layers holding a small amount of fluid

pelvic cavity
  • Specialized
1 5.3

Space inside the hip bones that holds organs like the bladder and rectum

orbital cavity
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A bony socket in the skull that holds and protects the eye

uterine cavity
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A space inside the womb between the cervix and the Fallopian tubes where a fertilized egg grows

pericardial cavity
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A small space filled with fluid between the layers around the heart that lets it move smoothly

bodily cavity
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A hollow space inside the body like the chest or belly that holds organs

pulp cavity
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A hollow inside a tooth that holds nerves and blood vessels

amniotic cavity
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A fluid-filled space around the developing baby inside the sac that protects and supports it

cavity wall
  • Specialized
1 4.6

A wall with two layers and a space between them to keep heat in and water out

glenoid cavity
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A shallow hollow in the shoulder blade where the upper arm bone fits

cavity resonator
  • Specialized
1 9.3

A hollow chamber that makes sound or light waves grow stronger by bouncing inside

buccal cavity
  • Specialized
6.4

The space inside the mouth between the cheeks and the jaws

cleavage cavity
  • Specialized
9.0

A fluid space that forms inside an early embryo when cells divide

cotyloid cavity
  • Specialized
9.9

A cup-shaped hollow in the hip bone that receives the head of the thigh bone to form the hip joint

axillary cavity
  • Specialized
6.4

The hollow under the arm near the shoulder, often called the armpit

9.9

A small space behind the stomach inside the belly

intracranial cavity
  • Specialized
7.3

The space inside the skull that holds the brain

segmentation cavity
  • Specialized
8.4

A space filled with fluid that forms inside an early embryo

tubular cavity
  • Specialized
7.8

A hollow tube inside a plant or animal where liquids pass

tympanic cavity
  • Specialized
8.2

A space in the middle ear between the eardrum and inner ear that holds tiny bones for hearing

How Severe

abscessed tooth
  • Specialized
1 5.6
cavity
40 3.4

Surface Forms

cavity singular
cavities plural

Morphology

cavity = cave (transparent) = cav + ity

Formed as a nominal derivation equivalent to 'cave' + '-ity', so learners who know 'cave' can infer 'cavity' as a hollow or hollowed space.

Etymology

Cavity comes from the old Latin word cavus meaning 'hollow', the same root as cave. A tooth cavity is a small 'hollow' or hole in the tooth from decay, which is why dentists use this word.