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Glite Dictionary
cavity wall

cavity wall

4.6
A wall with two layers and a space between them to keep heat in and water out
  • noun
  • /ˈkævɪti wɔːl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : muro de cavidad
  • During the renovation, they discovered that the cavity wall had excellent thermal properties.

Examples

  • To prevent moisture infiltration, they constructed the cavity wall with two separate masonry layers.

  • The tanks were built using cavity wall construction.

    Academic text (1998)

  • The builders decided to use a cavity wall for better insulation in the new house.

How Insulating

multiwall
5.7
cavity wall
  • Specialized
4.6

Surface Forms

cavity wall singular
cavity walls plural

Morphology

cavity + wall

The meaning 'a wall with a hollow/space between layers' is directly derivable from combining 'cavity' (a hollow) with 'wall' (a vertical structure); the compound literally describes a wall that contains a cavity. Although it is a technical building term, the noun+noun compositional pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Cavity wall: The noun cavity wall comes from the simple image of two walls with a space or cavity between them. That gap can hold 'insulation' or stop water from reaching the inside, so a cavity wall today means a wall made of two layers with a space to keep a house warm and dry.