cava
cava Lexical Profile
cava Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A Spanish sparkling white or rosé wine made by the traditional method of secondary fermentation in the bottle, produced primarily in the Catalonia region.
"We toasted the bride and groom with chilled glasses of dry Spanish cava."
Either of the two large veins (the superior and inferior venae cavae) that return deoxygenated blood from the body into the right atrium of the heart.
"The surgeon carefully clamped the inferior cava before proceeding with the cardiac repair."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'cava' (the Spanish sparkling wine) with its homophone 'kava' (a Polynesian pepper plant and the relaxing herbal beverage made from its roots).
• Rhymes for cava
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
In its culinary sense, 'cava' is borrowed from Catalan and Spanish 'cava' ('wine cellar' or 'cave'), referring to the underground cellars where the wine is aged, ultimately from Latin 'cavus' ('hollow'). The anatomical sense derives directly from the feminine form of Latin 'cavus' (as in 'vena cava', literally 'hollow vein').