Grottoes
/ˈɡrɒt.oʊz/noun
Caves or artificial caves, especially those used as secluded or ornamental spaces.
Did you know?When Renaissance Italians explored buried Roman rooms mistaken for caves, their strange wall paintings were called grottesche—the origin of the word “grotesque.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*krypt-
“To hide or conceal”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kryptē (κρύπτη)
“A hidden place or underground chamber”
Late Antiquity
Latin
crypta
“A vault, underground passage, or concealed chamber”
12th–13th Century
Italian
grotta
“A cave or underground chamber”
16th Century
Italian
grottesche
“Decorations found in subterranean Roman rooms; later, fantastical or distorted ornament”
17th Century
English
grotto
“A cave, especially an ornamental or picturesque one”
Modern English
English
grottoes
“Plural of grotto”