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cave

quarries

noun KAH-veh Rare

Usage Note

Cave is the plural of cava (quarry, excavation site), which is always feminine: la cava, le cave. A cava is an open-pit site where stone, marble, sand, or gravel is extracted; the most famous Italian example is the Carrara marble quarries (le cave di Carrara). Do not confuse with caverna (cave, cavern) or grotta (grotto) — a cava is man-made.

Examples

"Le cave di marmo di Carrara sono famose nel mondo."

Natural Translation

The marble quarries of Carrara are world-famous.

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