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CAVITY
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
(anatomy) a natural hollow or sinus within the body
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("cavity" is a kind of...):
anatomical structure; bodily structure; body structure; complex body part; structure (a particular complex anatomical part of a living thing and its construction and arrangement)
Domain category:
anatomy; general anatomy (the branch of morphology that deals with the structure of animals)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cavity"):
bursa omentalis; lesser peritoneal cavity; omental bursa (an isolated part of the peritoneal cavity that is dorsal to the stomach)
pericardial cavity; pericardial space (the space between the layers of the pericardium that contains fluid that lubricates the membrane surfaces and allows easy heart movement)
vacuole (a tiny cavity filled with fluid in the cytoplasm of a cell)
ventricle (one of four connected cavities in the brain; is continuous with the central canal of the spinal cord and contains cerebrospinal fluid)
sac (a structure resembling a bag in an animal)
uterine cavity (the space inside the uterus between the cervical canal and the Fallopian tubes)
nasal cavity (either of the two cavities lying between the floor of the cranium and the roof of the mouth and extending from the face to the pharynx)
nasopharynx (cavity forming the upper part of the pharynx)
oropharynx (cavity formed by the pharynx at the back of the mouth)
laryngopharynx (the lower part of the pharynx)
blind gut; caecum; cecum (the cavity in which the large intestine begins and into which the ileum opens)
tubular cavity (a cavity having the shape of a tube)
armpit; axilla; axillary cavity; axillary fossa (the hollow under the arm where it is joined to the shoulder)
chest cavity; thoracic cavity (the cavity in the vertebrate body enclosed by the ribs between the diaphragm and the neck and containing the lungs and heart)
abdomen; abdominal cavity (the cavity containing the major viscera; in mammals it is separated from the thorax by the diaphragm)
pelvis; renal pelvis (a structure shaped like a funnel in the outlet of the kidney into which urine is discharged before passing into the ureter)
pelvic cavity (the space bounded by the bones of the pelvis and containing the pelvic viscera)
celom; celoma; coelom (a cavity in the mesoderm of an embryo that gives rise in humans to the pleural cavity and pericardial cavity and peritoneal cavity)
fossa; pit (a concavity in a surface (especially an anatomical depression))
blastocele; blastocoel; blastocoele; cleavage cavity; segmentation cavity (the fluid-filled cavity inside a blastula)
archenteron (central cavity of the gastrula; becomes the intestinal or digestive cavity)
sinus (any of various air-filled cavities especially in the bones of the skull)
locule; loculus (a small cavity or space within an organ or in a plant or animal)
lumen (a cavity or passage in a tubular organ)
socket (a bony hollow into which a structure fits)
pulp cavity (the central cavity of a tooth containing the pulp (including the root canal))
cranial orbit; eye socket; orbit; orbital cavity (the bony cavity in the skull containing the eyeball)
buccal cavity (the cavity between the jaws and the cheeks)
antrum (a natural cavity or hollow in a bone)
cloaca ((zoology) the cavity (in birds, reptiles, amphibians, most fish, and monotremes but not mammals) at the end of the digestive tract into which the intestinal, genital, and urinary tracts open)
vestibule (any of various bodily cavities leading to another cavity (as of the ear or vagina))
mediastinum (the part of the thoracic cavity between the lungs that contains the heart and aorta and esophagus and trachea and thymus)
middle ear; tympanic cavity; tympanum (the main cavity of the ear; between the eardrum and the inner ear)
pleural cavity (the cavity in the thorax that contains the lungs and heart)
chamber (an enclosed volume in the body)
cranial cavity; intracranial cavity (the cavity enclosed by the cranium)
amniotic cavity (the fluid-filled cavity that surrounds the developing embryo)
greater peritoneal sac; peritoneal cavity (the interior of the peritoneum; a potential space between layers of the peritoneum)
Holonyms ("cavity" is a part of...):
body; organic structure (the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being))
Sense 2
Meaning:
A sizeable hole (usually in the ground)
Example:
they dug a pit to bury the body
Synonyms:
cavity; pit
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)
Hypernyms ("cavity" is a kind of...):
hole; hollow (a depression hollowed out of solid matter)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cavity"):
tar pit (a natural accumulation of bitumens at the surface of the earth; often acts as a trap for animals whose bones are thus preserved)
sawpit (a pit over which lumber is positioned to be sawed by two men with a long two-handed saw)
sandpit (a large pit in sandy ground from which sand is dug)
quicksand (a pit filled with loose wet sand into which objects are sucked down)
fire pit (a pit whose floor is incandescent lava)
divot ((golf) the cavity left when a piece of turf is cut from the ground by the club head in making a stroke)
borrow pit (a pit created to provide earth that can be used as fill at another site)
barbecue pit (a pit where wood or charcoal is burned to make a bed of hot coals suitable for barbecuing meat)
trou-de-loup (a sloping pit with a stake in the middle used as an obstacle to the enemy)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Soft decayed area in a tooth; progressive decay can lead to the death of a tooth
Synonyms:
caries; cavity; dental caries; tooth decay
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural processes
Hypernyms ("cavity" is a kind of...):
decay (the process of gradually becoming inferior)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Space that is surrounded by something
Synonyms:
cavity; enclosed space
Classified under:
Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes
Hypernyms ("cavity" is a kind of...):
space (an empty area (usually bounded in some way between things))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cavity"):
hollow (a cavity or space in something)
pocket; pouch; sac; sack (an enclosed space)
Context examples:
A type of ectopic pregnancy in which the embryo implants in the abdominal cavity instead of the uterine endometrium.
(Abdominal Pregnancy, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)
A disorder characterized by an infectious process involving the abdominal cavity.
(Abdominal Infection, NCI Thesaurus/CTCAE)
The tissues that surround the organs that are present within the abdominal cavity.
(Abdominal Wall, NCI Thesaurus)
An inflammatory process characterized by the accumulation of pus within a newly formed tissue cavity which is the result of a bacterial, fungal, or parasitic infection or the presence of a foreign body.
(Abscess, NCI Thesaurus)
An abscess is characterized histologically by sheet-like infiltration of neutrophils, with a cavity formed in areas of frank tissue destruction.
(Abscess of the Mouse Prostate Gland, NCI Thesaurus/MMHCC)
The loss of a fluid from an abscess into the surrounding tissue or body cavity.
(Abscess Leakage, NCI Thesaurus)
Intracranial or spinal cavities containing a cerebrospinal-like fluid, the wall of which is composed of arachnoidal cells.
(Arachnoid Cyst, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)
Fluid withdrawn from a body cavity, cyst, or tumor.
(Aspirate, NCI Thesaurus)
A mucous containing cyst arising from the minor salivary glands in the oral cavity.
(Mucous Cyst, NCI Thesaurus)
The moist, inner lining of some organs and body cavities (such as the nose, mouth, lungs, and stomach).
(Mucosa, NCI Dictionary)
