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Glite Dictionary
potholer

potholer

1 8.4
A person who explores caves for fun
  • noun
  • /ˈpɔːθoʊlər/
  • Jargon
: espeleólogo
  • A group of potholers gathered to explore the newly discovered cave in the national park.

Examples

  • It was found in Stonerich Cavern by a potholer.

    The Lair of the White Worm (1988)

  • The experienced potholer navigated the dark tunnels with ease, using his flashlight to find his way.

  • But only nutty potholers go down there.

    The Lair of the White Worm (1988)

  • Potholers.

    Kinky Boots (2005)

  • Parrish, it transpired, was a mushroom farmer and membership secretary of some federation of potholers.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Before becoming a seasoned potholer, she took several safety courses to learn about cave exploration.

Synonyms

caver
vspotholer
4 5.8

A person who explores caves for fun, science, or work

focuses mainly on recreational exploration rather than research or professional work
spelunker
vspotholer
  • US
2 9.1

A person who explores caves for fun

is the same meaning but uses a different informal label
speleologist
vspotholer
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A person who studies or explores caves

focuses on recreational hobby exploration rather than scientific study

Surface Forms

potholer singular
potholers plural

Morphology

potholer = pothole (opaque) = pot + hole + er

The word is formed with the agentive suffix '-er', but the cave-explorer meaning depends on a specialized sense of 'pothole' that most learners will not know.

Etymology

Potholer comes from pothole plus the ending -er, where pothole means 'a deep hole in the ground'. So a potholer is literally 'someone who goes into potholes', and in British English it means a person who explores caves.