Caving Translations


A basic knowledge of foreign words for ‘cave’ (or associated names such as ‘cavern’, ‘pot’ or ‘system’) may help you when researching in our indexes or other publications. Some of these words 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 appears here:

Language/countryForeign languageEnglish
Afrikaans-gatcave
Brazilabismopot
grutacave
Bulgariadupkacave
Chinadongcave
yancave
Czech Republicjeskynecave
Ethiopiaenkoftucave
holkacave
Franceabîmepot
avenpot
gouffrepot
grottecave
reseausystem
trouhole
Germanyhöhlecave
lochhole
schachtshaft
Hungarybarlangcave
zsombolypot
Indiakremcave
Indonesiaguacave
luwengpot
ngalaucave
sirahresurgence
surupansink
Irangharcave
Irelandpoll-hole
poul-hole
Italyabissopot
bucahole
bucohole
complessosystem
grottacave
Japan-docave
Malaysiaguacave
lubangcave
Moroccoifricave
kefcave
Nepalguphacave
Netherlandsgrotcave
Pakistanghara/gharracave
Polandjaskiniacave
Portugalabismopot
grutacave
Romaniapesteracave
Russiaпещераcave
гротcave
колодецpit
шахтаpit
шкурникsqueeze
шкуродёрsqueeze
Scotlandalltstream
uamhcave
Slovakiajaskynacave
Sloveniabreznopot
jamacave
pécinacave
spiljacave
Spaincuevacave
grutacave
hoyohole
nitacave
pozopot
pozupot
resumideroresurgence
simapot
sistemasystem
sótanocavern
sumiderosink
torcapot
Thailandthamcave
Turkeymagarasicave
Walesogofcave
pwllpot
twllhole