chinampa

[ chi-nam-puh ]

/ tʃɪˈnæm pə /

Save This Word!

noun

(in Mesoamerica) a long and narrow floating field on a shallow lake bed, artificially built up by layering soil, sediment, and decaying vegetation and used, especially by the Aztecs, to grow crops.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of chinampa

1830–40; <Mexican Spanish <Nahuatl <chinamitl area enclosed by canes + pa on

Words nearby chinampa

Chinagraph, China grass cloth, China ink, Chinaman, Chinaman's chance, chinampa, Chinan, Chinandega, China rose, China Sea, China silk

How to use chinampa in a sentence

A chinampa was a floating island in the lake of Tezcuco, upon whose very bosom the imperial city was built.
Sketches of Aboriginal Life|V. V. Vide
The keeper of the chinampa was there with great bundles of flowers.
The Fair God|Lew Wallace
Viewed from a distance, the chinampa looked like an island of flowers.
The Fair God|Lew Wallace
Do you recollect the dream I told you the night on the chinampa?
The Fair God|Lew Wallace

Up in the northeastern part of the little sea lay a chinampa at anchor.
The Fair God|Lew Wallace