spelunker

English

Etymology

From then-obsolete spelunk (noun) +‎ -er. Coined by New England cave explorer Roger Charles Johnson in the 1930s.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ʌŋkə(ɹ)

Noun

spelunker (plural spelunkers)

1. (Canada, US) One who explores caves; one who spelunks.

   Synonyms: caver, (British) potholer

   • 1943, Clay Perry, Author and Journalist Magazine:

     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.

2. (derogatory) An amateur or inadequately prepared caver.
   • 2002, Doug van Hemessen, “Caved in: Inside a crevice cave on the Niagara Escarpment”, in Seasons, volume 43, page 41:

     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 spelunkers and two cavers.

   • 2003, Dangerous Dick & the Duckbusters (lyrics and music), “Creepy Crawlways”:

     But the scariest of all’s the witless caver;
     Spelunker is the name that he goes by.
     He caves alone with just one light,
     A worn-out rope, and boots too tight,
     Looking for a cave in which to die.

   • 2011, Michael Gordon, Caving in Ontario: Exploring Buried Karst:

     it is a truth that every caver was once a spelunker with a flashlight and a tangled ball of string.

   • 2018, Douglas Reichert Powell, Endless Caverns: An Underground Journey into the Show Caves of Appalachia:

     “‘Cavers,’” the editor notes, “generally consider ‘spelunkers’ to be people who have no real knowledge or understanding of caves and caving safety, but who decide to enter a cave anyway, usually without proper equipment.”

Derived terms

• spelunk
• spelunking

Translations

References