Caving Translations
The use of this index may be helped by a basic knowledge of foreign words for ‘cave’ (or associated names such as ‘cavern’, ‘pot’ or ‘system’). Some of these may be used as a prefix (eg. Ireland: Poul/Poll) or suffix (eg. Austria: Höhle, as in Mammuthöhle). A short list of the commonest of these, which variously occur in Descent, appears here:
| Language/country | Foreign language | English |
| Afrikaans | -gat | cave |
| Brazil | abismo | pot |
| gruta | cave | |
| Bulgaria | dupka | cave |
| China | dong | cave |
| yan | cave | |
| Czech Republic | jeskyne | cave |
| Ethiopia | enkoftu | cave |
| French | abîme | pot |
| aven | pot | |
| gouffre | pot | |
| grotte | cave | |
| reseau | system | |
| trou | hole | |
| German | höhle | cave |
| loch | hole | |
| schacht | shaft | |
| Hungary | barlang | cave |
| zsomboly | pot | |
| India | krem | cave |
| Indonesia | gua | cave |
| luweng | pot | |
| ngalau | cave | |
| sirah | resurgence | |
| surupan | sink | |
| Iran | ghar | cave |
| Ireland | poll- | hole |
| poul- | hole | |
| Italy | abisso | pot |
| buca | hole | |
| buco | hole | |
| complesso | system | |
| grotta | cave | |
| Japan | -do | cave |
| Malaysia | gua | cave |
| lubang | cave | |
| Morocco | ifri | cave |
| kef | cave | |
| Nepal | gupha | cave |
| Netherlands | grot | cave |
| Pakistan | ghara/gharra | cave |
| Poland | jaskinia | cave |
| Portugal | abismo | pot |
| gruta | cave | |
| Romania | pestera | cave |
| Scotland | allt | stream |
| uamh | cave | |
| Slovakia | jaskyna | cave |
| Slovenia | brezno | pot |
| jama | cave | |
| pécina | cave | |
| spilja | cave | |
| Spanish | cueva | cave |
| gruta | cave | |
| hoyo | hole | |
| nita | cave | |
| pozo | pot | |
| pozu | pot | |
| resumidero | resurgence | |
| sima | pot | |
| sistema | system | |
| sótano | cavern | |
| sumidero | sink | |
| torca | pot | |
| Thailand | tham | cave |
| Turkey | magarasi | cave |
| Wales | ogof | cave |
| pwll | pot | |
| twll | hole |