CAVING

Noun

caving (countable and uncountable, plural cavings)

The recreational sport of exploring caves.

An act of collapsing or caving in.

Verb

caving

present participle of cave

Source: Wiktionary

CAVE

Cave, n. Etym: [F. cave, L. cavus hollow, whence cavea cavity. Cf. Cage.]

1. A hollow place in the earth, either natural or artificial; a subterraneous cavity; a cavern; a den.

2. Any hollow place, or part; a cavity. [Obs.] "The cave of the ear." Bacon. Cave bear (Zoöl.), a very large fossil bear (Ursus spelæus) similar to the grizzly bear, but large; common in European caves.

– Cave dweller, a savage of prehistoric times whose dwelling place was a cave. Tylor.

– Cave hyena (Zoöl.), a fossil hyena found abundanty in British caves, now usually regarded as a large variety of the living African spotted hyena.

– Cave lion (Zoöl.), a fossil lion found in the caves of Europe, believed to be a large variety of the African lion.

– Bone cave. See under Bone.

Cave, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Caved; p. pr. & vb. n. Caving.] Etym: [Cf. F. caver. See Cave, n.]

Definition: To make hollow; to scoop out. [Obs.] The mouldred earth cav'd the banke. Spenser.

Cave, v. i.

1. To dwell in a cave. [Obs.] Shak.

2. Etym: [See To cave in, below.]

Definition: To fall in or down; as, the sand bank caved. Hence (Slang), to retreat from a position; to give way; to yield in a disputed matter. To cave in. Etym: [Flem. inkalven.] (a) To fall in and leave a hollow, as earth on the side of a well or pit. (b) To submit; to yield. [Slang] H. Kingsley.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition