cataphile

From French cataphile, equivalent to a blend of catacomb +‎ -phile.

• IPA^(key): /ˈkætəfaɪl/

  • Audio (Southern England)

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cataphile (plural cataphiles)

1. 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..."

2. (by extension) Any individual who explores subterranean quarries, mines, or catacombs.

• caliphate, hepatical