grotto

[ grot-oh ]

See synonyms for grotto on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural grot·toes, grot·tos.

a cave or cavern.
an artificial cavernlike recess or structure.

Origin of grotto

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

Other words from grotto

grottoed, adjective
grot·to·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use grotto in a sentence

Below the side valley Gurkang-pu, on the left, pebble beds stand in perpendicular walls with numerous caves and grottos.
Trans-Himalaya, Vol. 2 (of 2) | Sven Hedin
Two of these small pools have vertical sides of blue ice like entrances to marvellous fairy grottos.
Trans-Himalaya, Vol. 2 (of 2) | Sven Hedin
Neither statues, mummies, nor any other movable objects have been found in these grottos.
A history of art in ancient Egypt, Vol. I (of 2) | Georges Perrot
This cavern was one of those natural grottos, so many of which are to be found in these regions.
The Tiger-Slayer | Gustave Aimard
Whether the Koppenburg contains any grottos I am unable to say.
Archaic England | Harold Bayley

British Dictionary definitions for grotto

grotto

/ (ˈɡrɒtəʊ) /

nounplural -toes or -tos

a small cave, esp one with attractive features
a construction in the form of a cave, esp as in landscaped gardens during the 18th century

Origin of grotto

C17: from Old Italian grotta, from Late Latin crypta vault; see crypt

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

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