ScienceAugust 17, 2026

grottoes

GROH-tohz

Definition

Small, picturesque caves or caverns, often decorated or containing historical carvings or structures.

Etymology

The word comes from the Italian 'grotta', which originated from the Vulgar Latin 'grupta', meaning a cave or crypt, itself derived from the Greek 'kruptē' meaning hidden place.

In the news

The term refers to the ancient artificial caves at the Yungang site, which are being digitally archived to preserve their unique Buddhist carvings and architectural history for future generations.

Chinese scientists employ new technology to scan cultural heritage sites for first time

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