grotto
Americannoun
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a cave or cavern.
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an artificial cavernlike recess or structure.
noun
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a small cave, esp one with attractive features
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a construction in the form of a cave, esp as in landscaped gardens during the 18th century
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of grotto
1610–20; < Italian grotta < Vulgar Latin *crupta, for Latin crypta subterranean passage, chamber. See crypt
Explanation
A grotto is a small cave, the kind of place where you feel comfortable, cozy, and protected from the harsh realities outside. This word started in Greek (as the word that also gives us crypt), turned into Latin and then Italian, and finally landed in English in the 1600s as grotto. A grotto can be natural or manmade, but either way, it's a small cave or hidden room with cool and inviting features like a comfy floor or round walls. A grotto is a good place to read, write, or just hang out with friends, especially on a hot summer day.
Vocabulary lists containing grotto
Built To Last: Architectural Parlance
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Bless Me, Ultima
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"Rules of the Game" (from The Joy Luck Club) by Amy Tan
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She also recorded a rendition of Snow’s song “I’m Wishing” that played from the wishing well at Disneyland’s Snow White Grotto.
From Salon • Mar. 29, 2025
If you’ve ever taken a rowboat into the Blue Grotto on the Italian isle of Capri, this cave’s interior will give you déja vù in another hue.
From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2024
Since 2011 Fosse has lived at the Grotto, an honorary residence on the premises of Oslo's royal palace that has housed some of Norway's foremost authors and composers in the last century.
From Reuters • Oct. 5, 2023
The book swap, located near the town hall, also hosts events like book readings and a Santa's Grotto at Christmas.
From BBC • Aug. 18, 2023
No doubt he was still thinking of the Spooky Grotto of Tygers.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
