cataphile
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From French cataphile, equivalent to a blend of catacomb + -phile.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
cataphile (plural cataphiles)
- A type of urban explorer who visits the ancient catacombs and quarries linked by tunnels beneath Paris.
- 2004 October 13, Joelle Diderich, “Police Play Cat & Mouse With New French Underground”, in The Scotsman:
- Skilled cataphiles elude police by ducking into corridors or moving in the dark.
- 2005, David L. Pike, Subterranean Cities: The World Beneath Paris and London, 1800-1945, pages 176–177:
- "...a Prussian zombie, and a Polish lamia, the Countess Norodna, in the Left Bank carrières (top and bottom frame right). The artist is a former cataphile, and the series is replete with subterranean history and folklore. The dialogue..."
- (by extension) Any individual who explores subterranean quarries, mines, or catacombs.