cenote

[ suh-noh-tee ]

/ səˈnoʊ ti /

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noun

a deep natural well or sinkhole, especially in Central America, formed by the collapse of surface limestone that exposes ground water underneath, and sometimes used by the ancient Mayans for sacrificial offerings.

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Origin of cenote

1835–45; <Mexican Spanish <Yucatec Mayan

Words nearby cenote

cenobite, cenogenesis, cenosite, cenospecies, cenotaph, cenote, Cenozoic, cense, censer, censor, censorious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use cenote in a sentence

There are dozens of mangrove-lined sinkholes, or cenotes, on the peninsula.
Mangrove forests on the Yucatan Peninsula store record amounts of carbon|Carolyn Gramling|May 7, 2021|Science News
Other, more immediate threats to the peninsula’s carbon-rich cenotes include groundwater pollution, expanding infrastructure, urbanization and tourism.
Mangrove forests on the Yucatan Peninsula store record amounts of carbon|Carolyn Gramling|May 7, 2021|Science News
Probably the swallows were nesting in the cenote although the nests were inaccessible to view.
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula|Erwin E. Klaas
For these the Mayan Indian name is "cenote," and they are often huge.
The American Egypt|Channing Arnold

With him as our guide we visited a neighbouring cenote, the water supply of the ancient Indian city.
The American Egypt|Channing Arnold
Dinny led on rapidly till they reached the turning in the direction of the old temple which contained the cenote.
Commodore Junk|George Manville Fenn
The floor of this cenote is near the watertable but not below it.
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula|Erwin E. Klaas

British Dictionary definitions for cenote

cenote

/ (sɪˈnəʊteɪ) /

noun

(esp in the Yucatán peninsula) a natural well formed by the collapse of an overlying limestone crust: often used as a sacrificial site by the Mayas

Word Origin for cenote

C19: via Mexican Spanish from Maya conot

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012