grotto

American  

[grot-oh] / ˈgrɒt oʊ /

noun

• grottoes,
  plural
• grottos
  plural

1. a cave or cavern.

2. an artificial cavernlike recess or structure.

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grotto British  

/ ˈɡrɒtəʊ /

noun

1. a small cave, esp one with attractive features

2. a construction in the form of a cave, esp as in landscaped gardens during the 18th century

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• grottoed
  adjective
• grottolike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• grottoes
  plural
• grottos
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of grotto

1610–20; < Italian grotta < Vulgar Latin *crupta, for Latin crypta subterranean passage, chamber. See crypt

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grotto grottoes grottos

“Between the homes, a freeform pool curves through natural rock, hiding a grotto and a slide, with a shallow ledge for lounging and an elevated spa,” according to the listing.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

JR, dubbed the "French Banksy" after the British street artist, has wrapped the Pont Neuf in fabric painted white, grey and black to create the impression of a rocky grotto.

From Barron's ● May 21, 2026

Word from the grotto is that this year Hot Wheels, slime, Transformers and unicorns are all still topping the request lists.

From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025

They lived in the tiger grotto and were fed at the Art Deco-style Lion House, built for the original Fleishhacker Zoo by the Works Progress Administration.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2025

Did Werner let himself back into the grotto to retrieve it?

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Near an oasis in the Gobi Desert, the stupendous mural-covered grottoes capture centuries of Buddhist art.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

The Jinci Temple and Tianlongshan grottoes, both national heritage sites in Shanxi, have collapsed, and old towers and walls in the province have suffered damage due to unusually heavy rain, it said.

From Reuters ● Jul. 17, 2023

The Afro Mermaid Summit — it's so incredibly important for Black and brown mermaids to be able to come together and have a safe space to swim in these beautiful grottoes.

From Salon ● May 28, 2023

John Paul’s remains were moved upstairs from the grottoes and into the main basilica for his 2011 beatification during Benedict’s papacy.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 4, 2023

Some of the most common are in this example: The heroes saved the cargoes oftomatoes andpotatoes from the mosquitoes and tornadoes by hiding them in grottoes.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

The area is located near caves and grottos, an environment similar to where Brazil's first known spider-parasitic mite species, Charletonia rocciai, was discovered.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 28, 2026

Elves, hired to usher children through grottos, typically earn less, but have seen a slight bump in average pay compared to last year.

From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025

Children would build grottos from the shells and pester passers-by for pennies for their efforts, with cries of "Pray remember the grotto!"

From Salon ● Jan. 6, 2025

Many popes are buried in tombs in the grottos underneath St. Peter’s Basilica or in side chapels of the basilica itself, including all of Francis’ recent predecessors.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 13, 2023

He constructed elaborate fountains, with grottos containing mechanical singing birds.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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Related Words

• cavern

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