cenote

American  

[suh-noh-tee] / səˈnoʊ ti /

noun

1. a deep natural well or sinkhole, especially in Central America, formed by the collapse of surface limestone that exposes groundwater underneath.

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cenote British  

/ sɪˈnəʊteɪ /

noun

1. (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

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Etymology

Origin of cenote

First recorded in 1835–45; from Mexican Spanish, from Yucatec Mayan tz'onot

Example Sentences

They offer temazcal baths, traditional Mayan steam rooms meant to purify and relax the body, and charge visiting foreigners to swim in a nearby cenote.

From Seattle Times • May 30, 2024

We emerged from the tunnels into a little-known archaeological gem, a cenote called Manitas with 31 pre-Hispanic handprints on the cave walls.

From BBC • Dec. 14, 2023

In order to get some shots of her under what looked like the arch, we went to the cenote in Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 20, 2023

We passed the so-called Bat Volcano, a dried-out cenote, or limestone sinkhole, that’s home to more than three million bats of eight species that swirl out into the air every evening at twilight.

From New York Times • Nov. 8, 2022

One day we went to a cenote for a bath.

From In Indian Mexico (1908) by Starr, Frederick