spelunker
2
9.1
- noun
- /spəˈlʌŋkər/
- US
- Tier 3 words are words that are specific to different content areas (e.g., spelunker, hydrogenous).
- spelunkers explore
Examples
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A spelunker's scale model of Carlsbad.
Fiction book (2000) -
The experienced spelunker navigated the dark cave with a headlamp and climbing gear.
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- Boys, I seriously doubt that Mr. Garrison ever said, Eat penguin shit, you ass spelunker.
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Hey, they're spelunkers.
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But in 1993, very recently for the first time, a spelunker named Monsieur Chauvet discovered the entrance to a cave hidden on the backside of that arch.
Blog text (4) -
Even though the movie was mostly about mutant creatures hunting the actors, Bruce included a lot of scenarios that (as a cave diver and spelunker) scared the shit out of me.
Blog text (3) -
One of the billboards depicted a family of happy spelunkers, helmet lamps glowing as they pointed at astonishing sights just offstage.
Fiction book (1990) -
The spelunker, for all his Orphic intrepidity, reinforces the superficiality of our relation to the Earth; his frisson is a testament to the conceptual limits of the surface.
Academic text (2016) -
Every summer, a group of spelunkers explores the stunning formations in the local caves.
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As a passionate spelunker, she spends her weekends discovering hidden caves in the mountains.
Synonyms
4
5.8
A person who explores caves for fun, science, or work
1
9.9
A person who studies or explores caves
1
8.4
A person who explores caves for fun
How Experienced
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Spelunker comes from the old Latin word spelunca meaning 'cave', with the ending -er added to mean a person. So a spelunker is someone who goes into caves to explore, often as a hobby.