spelunker
English · Thesaurus
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spelunker
Rhymes with -ʌŋkə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From then-obsolete spelunk (noun) + -er. Coined by New England cave explorer Roger Charles Johnson in the 1930s.
noun spelunkers
- One who explores caves; one who spelunks. I took to fishing, on mountain brooks and lakes, and finally I was inveigled into becoming a spelunker. A spelunker is a human worm who crawls into caves ("splunca" is Latin for cave) and explores them.
- An amateur or inadequately prepared caver. I am officially a spelunker – but not yet a caver. The dictionary definition of spelunking is “exploring caves for sport.” Serious enthusiasts shun the term, however. They are cavers. A spelunker is an inexperienced amateur. On this dry and balmy mid-November Saturday, our group contains three spelu
Translations
Every language
noun one who explores caves
| Français | spéléologue |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Höhlenforscher, Höhlenforscherin |
| Italiano | speleologo |
| Ελληνικά | σπηλαιολόγος spilaiológos |
| Русский | спелео́лог speleólog |
Talk about this word "spelunker." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/spelunker. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. spelunker. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/spelunker "spelunker." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/spelunker.Cite this
@misc{spelunker_2026,
title = {spelunker},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/spelunker},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
