Cava

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkɑː.və/

Definitions

1. A Spanish sparkling wine made primarily in Catalonia using the traditional Champagne method of secondary fermentation in the bottle
2. A sparkling wine hailing from Spain, particularly known for its production in Catalonia, which undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle to develop its characteristic effervescence
3. A type of sparkling wine originating from Spain that is notably produced in the region of Catalonia through a method involving secondary fermentation within the bottle

Etymology: Before it named a sparkling wine, "cava" meant a hollow place. In Catalan and Spanish it means a cellar, the underground space where wine is stored, and the wine took its name from the cool, dark caves where it ages in the bottle. The word goes back to Latin "cavus", meaning hollow, which also gave English "cave" and "cavity". The same Latin root sits behind the anatomical term "vena cava", the "hollow vein" that carries blood into the heart. The wine's name is a shortened use of that Latin-derived word, so a bottle of cava and the body's great vein share a common ancestor in the idea of something hollowed out.