Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CA'VE-A-TING, n.

In fencing, is the shifting the sword from one side of that of your adversary to the other. – Encyc.

CA'VE-A-TOR, n.

One who enters a caveat. – Judge Innes, Cranch's Reports.

CAV'ERN, n. [L. caverna; Sp. Port. and It. id. This word seems to be composed of cavus, and the Sax. ærn, a secret place. See Tavern and Barn.]

A deep, hollow place in the earth. In general, it differs from cave in greater depth, and in being applied most usually to natural hollows or chasms. Earth with its caverns dark and deep. – Watts.

CAV'ERN-ED, a.

1. Full of caverns, or deep chasms; having caverns.
2. Inhabiting a cavern. – Pope.

CA'VERN-OUS, a. [L. cavernosus.]

Hollow; full of caverns. – Woodward. [Faber uses cavernal, which is less regularly formed.]

CAV-ERN'U-LOUS, a. [L. cavernula.]

Full of little cavities; as, cavernulous metal. – Black.

CA-VET'TO, n. [from It. cavo.]

In architecture, a hollow member, or round concave molding, containing the quadrant of a circle; used as an ornament in cornices. – Encyc.

CAV'E-ZON, or CAV'ES-SON, n. [Fr. caveçon, or cavesson; It. cavezzone, a muzzle for a horse, from cavare, to draw.]

A sort of nose-band, of iron, leather or wood, sometimes flat, and sometimes hollow or twisted, which is put on the nose of a horse to wring it, and thus to forward the suppling and breaking of him. – Farrur's Dict.

CAV'I-AR, n. [Sp. cabial; It. caviale; Ar. خبيار gabiar. The Arabic verb خَبَرَ gabara, from which this word is formed, signifies to try, to strain or press, and to season with fat. It may coincide with the Gr. πειραω, L. experior.]

The roes of certain large fish, prepared and salted. The best is made from the roes of the sterlet, sturgeon, sevruga, and beluga, caught in the lakes or rivers of Russia. The roes are put into a bag with a strong brine, and pressed by wringing, and then dried told put in casks, or into cisterns, perforated at bottom, where they are pressed by heavy weights. The poorest sort is trodden with the feet. – Tooke.

CA'VI-CORN, n. [L. cavus and cornu.]

A ruminant animal having the horns hollowed like a sheath, and planted on a bony process of the front, as the antelope.

CAV'IL, n.

False or frivolous objections; also, a fallacious kind of reason, bearing some resemblance to truth, advanced for the sake of victory. – Johnson. Encyc.

CAV'IL, v.i. [Sp. cavilar; Port. cavillar; It. cavillare; L. cavillor; D. kibbelen; Oriental קבל; Ch. to cry out or complain; Syr. to accuse, oppose, censure.]

1. To raise captious and frivolous objections; to find fault without good reason; followed by at. It is better to reason than to cavil. – Anon.
2. To advance futile objections, or to frame sophisms, for the sake of victory in an argument.

CAV'IL, v.t.

To receive or treat with objections. Wilt thou enjoy the good, / Then cavil the conditions. – Milton. [Not usual.]

CAV'IL-ER, n.

One who cavils; one who is apt to raise captious objections; a captious disputant. – Addison.

CAV'IL-ING, ppr.

Raising frivolous objections.

CAV'IL-ING-LY, adv.

In a caviling manner. – Sherwood.

CAV-IL-LA'TION, n. [L. cavillatio.]

The act or practice of caviling, or raising frivolous objections. – Hooker.

CAV'IL-OUS, a.

Captious; unfair argument; apt to object without good reason. – Ayliffe.

CAV'IL-OUS-LY, adv.

In a cavilous manner; captiously. – Milton.

CAV'IL-OUS-NESS, n.

Captiousness; disposition or aptitude to raise frivolous objections.

CAV'IN, n. [Fr. from L. cavus, hollow.]

In the military art, a hollow way or natural hollow, adapted to cover troops and facilitate their approach to a place. – Johnson. Bailey.

CAV'I-TY, n. [L. cavitas; Fr. cavité; from L. cavus, hollow.]

A hollow place; hollowness; an opening; as, the cavity of the mouth or throat. [This is a word of very general signification.]

CAV'O-LIN-ITE, n. [from Cavolini, a Neapolitan naturalist.]

A newly discovered Vesuvian mineral, of a hexahedral form, occurring in the interior of calcarious balls, accompanied with garnets, idocrase, mica, and granular pyroxene, lining the cavity of the geode, &c. – Journ. of Science.

CA'VY, n.

A genus of quadrupeds, holding a middle place between the murine and leporine tribes. – Encyc.

CAW, v.i. [probably from the sound; Sax. ceo, a crow or a jay.]

To cry like a crow, rook or raven.