Words!

I'm fascinated by the English language and all its' intricasies, so when coming across a word never seen before there is always a bit of research done to learn definitions, roots, and other words which have an association.

Todays' word is "swallet", which I read in an article about a newly discovered cave in the Cariboo Mountains in B.C.. The story tells of the cave being undetected until now because it had been blocked with snow and ice. The blockage melted away and exposed th entrance to an enormous cave ( likely caused by climate change, but that's another story unto itself).

In the meantime, the word "swallet" intrigued me and started a little research sorte on the internet. While the use of the word in the article hade me infer that it meant a cave opening, the term has more of an association with sinkholes and cenotes, with the following Miiriam-Webster definition 

swal·​let | \ ˈswälə̇t \plural -s

dialectal, England
: an underground streamalso : an opening through which a stream disappears undergroundAfter seeing a photo of the cave entrance, and reading more about the cave being contantly filled with ice and snow, the usage of the term seems perfect. The cave entrance is like an open mouth, below grade and on the side of the mountain, which means water and snow would naturally fill the void. Even if there was emelting action and running water, the flow could have been occuring beneath the upper layers of snow and ice, and helped the erosion of the cave while remaining unseen.

The "swallet"

So, this certainly helps my cause to learn something new every day and gives me just one more word to expand my vocabulary, even if it's a word I may never use in a day to day discussion.If nothing else, perhaps it will help me with one of my crossword puzzles or with palying Scrabble some day! haha