cavernous

adjective

cav·​ern·​ous ˈka-vər-nəs 

1

a

: having caverns or cavities

b

of animal tissue : composed largely of vascular sinuses and capable of dilating with blood to bring about the erection of a body part

2

: constituting or suggesting a cavern

a cavernous warehouse

cavernously adverb

Examples of cavernous in a Sentence

We toured the cavernous airplane hangar.

The dance was held in a cavernous hall.

Recent Examples on the Web

The central console has cavernous storage (enough for a laptop). —Jeremy White, WIRED, 21 Dec. 2024

The cavernous space, with 24-foot ceilings, currently hosts two production lines. —Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024

There is a gourmet kitchen, a breakfast nook, and a cavernous primary suite with a walk-in closet with its own hair and makeup station. —Joyce Chen, Architectural Digest, 19 Dec. 2024

In front of about 400 fans gathered in the company’s cavernous lobby downtown, Paul emerged to a chorus of boos, before leaning into some crowd-work with those in attendance. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin cavernōsus "having hollows or depressions," from caverna "hollow space, cavern entry 1" + -ōsus -ous

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

cavernous

adjective

cav·​ern·​ous ˈkav-ər-nəs 

1

: having caverns or cavities

2

: resembling a cavern in being large and hollow

3

: composed largely of spaces capable of filling with blood to bring about the enlargement of a body part

cavernously adverb

Medical Definition

cavernous

adjective

cav·​ern·​ous ˈkav-ər-nəs 

1

: having caverns or cavities

2

of tissue : composed largely of vascular sinuses and capable of dilating with blood to bring about the erection of a body part