From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgrottogrot‧to /ˈɡrɒtəʊ $ ˈɡrɑːtoʊ/ noun (plural grottos or grottoes) [countable] SGDLGa small attractive cave
Examples from the Corpus
grotto• Harry was saying there had been a bar here in the boathouse and a grotto below.• He was out hunting and hot and thirsty entered a grotto where a little stream widened into a pool.• Past the end of the lake a limestone grotto is reached, affording shelter but not now maintained in pristine condition.• The real highlight, though, was the grotto, which took up most of one wall.• The illusion is that the water is emerging from within the grotto.Origin grotto (1600-1700) Italian grotta, grotto, from Latin crypta; → CRYPT