Wordie [wûrd • ē]
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38 wordies list
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first listed by:
robotjohnny (1407 words)
appears in these lists:
jgs's Words, by jgs
kat's words, by kat
dbmag9's Words, by dbmag9
kubia's Words, by kubia
pshaw's Words, by pshaw
Words I hate, by mstich
arby's words, by arby
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I recently discovered that this word comes from Latin (spelunca, -ae: cave). I was so shocked that I had to come here and write about it. Honestry, if I were to give a list of words that definitely weren't from Latin, this would have been pretty high up. Language can surprise us all.
The word itself means "caving". However, within the caving community there is quite a snobbery: "caving" is reserved for the circumspect, sensible professionals, whereas "spelunking" is used for those amateurs who rush into things and need rescuing later on. Hence the bumper sticker: "Cavers rescue spelunkers".
In any case, I love the sound of the word.