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

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.

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

The Pope then travelled to Lourdes, where he prayed in the grotto where the Virgin Mary was believed to have appeared in the 19th century.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

"The Smyrnaeans have the river Meles, with its lovely water, and at its springs is the grotto, where they say Homer composed his poems," wrote the 2nd-century Greek chronicler and geographer Pausanias.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

Simon visited Derby on 5 December 2024 to meet children in a grotto at the Derbion centre.

From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2026

It lay at the bottom of a grotto, like a bubble in the earth.

From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer

But the settings—sailboats, grottoes, caves, lush gardens, elegant townhouses—couldn’t be lovelier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 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

Benedict’s tomb lies in the grottoes under the basilica’s main floor.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 8, 2023

That’s where the water would be, healing out to the sea and the peaceful grottoes.

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner

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

Related Words

• cavern