LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum

noun · femininefirst declension

cava¹

*cava f (oblique *cavam)

Meaning

Proto Italo Western Romancefemininereconstructionspecies of crow, jackdaw, jay, rook
Proto Italo Western Romancefemininereconstructionbarn-owl, owl

Declension

declension
form	singular	plural
nominative	/ˈkaβa/	/ˈkaβas/

Origins

Borrowed from Frankish *kawa (“chough, jackdaw”). Likely influenced by or a confluence with a Gaulish *kawā, from Proto-Celtic *kawannos (“owl”).

Elsewhere

Frenchchevêchefrom Vulgar Latin *cawesca
Romanianciovicăfrom Vulgar Latin *cawesca
Catalancauècafrom Vulgar Latin *cawesca
Catalancavècafrom Vulgar Latin *cawesca
Occitancavècafrom Vulgar Latin *cawesca
Italiancivettafrom Vulgar Latin *cawetta
Italianciovettafrom Vulgar Latin *cawetta
Frenchchouettefrom Vulgar Latin *cawetta
Bourbonnais-Berrichonchuèchefrom Vulgar Latin *cawesca
Aragonesebabiecafrom Vulgar Latin *cawesca

Direct reflexes

Spanishchovafrom Old French choe
Spanishchoyafrom Old French choe
Middle Frenchchoefrom Old French choe
Middle Frenchchouefrom Old French choe
Galicianchoiafrom Old French choe
Old Occitancau
Picardcaue
Picardcave

noun · femininefirst declension

cava²

cava f (genitive cavae)

Classical[ˈka.wa]Ecclesiastical[ˈkaː.va]

Meaning

Late Latinfemininea hollow, hole, cave, pit, cavern

Declension

declension
form	singular	plural
nominative	cava	cavae
genitive	cavae	cavārum
dative	cavae	cavīs
accusative	cavam	cavās
ablative	cavā	cavīs
vocative	cava	cavae

Origins

Nominalization of cavus, likely by reinterpretation of the plural of the neuter noun cavum as a feminine singular form.

Descendants

Catalancava
Catalancova
Englishcavefrom Old French cave
Frenchcavefrom Old French cave
Portuguesecavefrom Old French cave
Portuguesecovafrom Old Galician-Portuguese cova
Spanishcueva
Romaniangaurăfrom Vulgar Latin *cavula
Asturiancueva
Galiciancovafrom Old Galician-Portuguese cova

Quick answers

What does cava mean in Latin?: cava, a noun, means “species of crow, jackdaw, jay, rook; barn-owl, owl”.