'cave-living' is a modern English compound formed from the words 'cave' and 'living'. 'cave' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'cavus', where 'cavus' meant 'hollow'. 'living' comes from Old English, specifically the word 'libban', where 'libban' meant 'to live'.

'cave' passed from Latin 'cavus' into Old French and Middle English as 'cave' and became the modern English 'cave'; 'living' developed from Old English 'libban' through Middle English forms (e.g. 'liven') into modern 'living'. The compound 'cave-living' is a straightforward Modern English formation combining those elements.

Initially, the component words meant 'a hollow' and 'the state or action of living'; combined in modern usage they specifically denote 'the state or habit of living in caves'—an ecological or cultural lifestyle meaning that has remained fairly literal.