English Reference

Word

grotto

Phoneticsgrot·to

US/ˈɡɹɑˌtoʊ/

UK/ɡɹˈɒtəʊ/

Definition

n. a small cave or a room that looks like a cave. It is often used to describe a place where people keep plants or have a small pool of water.

n. a small cave or a room designed to resemble a cave. Often used in the context of horticulture to describe a structure for growing plants in a humid environment.

Examples

“The children played in the small grotto behind the house.”

“The garden features a beautiful grotto with a small waterfall and a pool of clear water.”

“Archaeologists discovered a hidden grotto beneath the ruins, revealing ancient carvings that suggested the site was once a sacred sanctuary for the local community.”

Examples

simple

“The children played in the small grotto behind the house.”

contextual

“The garden features a beautiful grotto with a small waterfall and a pool of clear water.”

complex

“Archaeologists discovered a hidden grotto beneath the ruins, revealing ancient carvings that suggested the site was once a sacred sanctuary for the local community.”

Real-World Examples

“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.”
BBC News · 26 Sept 2026

Etymology

From Italian grotta, from Vulgar Latin grupta, from Classical Latin crypta. Doublet of crypt. The Philippine sense is from the holy cave in Lourdes, France.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/grotto

English Reference