geocache

Etymology

Of geo- + cache. Suggested by participants in the mailing list gpsstash@egroups.com in May 2000, replacing the earlier gpsstash (see quotations below).

noun

1. A container hidden in a specific location during geocaching.
   Regardless of the final name, can we please replace the word "stash" with "cache"? "GPS Cache Hunt" and "Geocache" still sound find. I believe it still works with all of the variations that David came up with (Geocaching, geocacher, etc).] [2000-05-30, Matt Stum, “Cache vs. Stash”, in Geocaching, published 2020-11-26
   The treasures in this case are geocaches, those little plastic boxes of goodies that are hidden all over the earth. 2006, Michael Purvis, Jeffrey Sambells, Cameron Turner, Beginning Google Maps Applications with PHP and Ajax: From Novice to Professional, page 32
   2006, National Science Teachers Association, Illinois Association of Chemistry Teachers, American Science Teachers Association, The Science Teacher, Volume 73, Issues 1-4, page 56, Latitude and longitude coordinates for the location of these hidden geocaches are downloaded from the internet (at sites such as www. geocaching.com) and loaded on a GPS receiver.
   With school out for the summer, Jason and Sarah sat down and mapped a strategy to find the geocaches at each of the state's seventy-two parks and recreation areas. 2010, Doug Ohman, Chris Niskanen, Prairie, Lake, Forest: Minnesota's State Parks, page 102

verb

1. (intransitive) To participate in geocaching.
   Those who have never geocached assume that it must be a really easy game; 2004, Mike Dyer, The Essential Guide to Geocaching: Tracking Treasure with Your GPS, page 68
   And, in line with the third preference that Kahn observed, nearly all of the places I've geocached have been easy to navigate (and would have been easy even without a GPS). 2006, Margot Anne Kelley, Local Treasures: Geocaching Across America, page 142
   The team, which has more than 68000 finds between them, geocached across all 50 U.S. states in just 10 days. 2010, Paul Gillin, Dana Gillin, The Joy of Geocaching: How to Find Health, Happiness and Creative Energy Through a Worldwide Treasure Hunt, page 131
2. (transitive) To hide or seek a geocache.