grottoes
Picturesque hollow chambers
Grottoes is the plural of grotto—a small cave, especially one that's picturesque or has been artificially enhanced.
Natural grottoes often feature in coastal landscapes; artificial ones appear in gardens and religious shrines: The pilgrims gathered at the grotto to pray.
The word carries a slightly romantic or old-world feel.
Also spelled grottos.
Mineral deposits hanging downward
- stalagmitesUpward-growing cave formations
- karstEroded soluble rock terrain
- limestoneCarbonate sedimentary rock
- calciteCrystalline calcium carbonate
flowstone · drapery · sinter · chamber · cavern · underground · formation · minerals
Sacred devotional place
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
- chapelSmall worship room
- hermitageSecluded religious dwelling
- pilgrimageReligious journey to shrine
Madonna · Lourdes · votive · altar · devotion · blessed · apparition · niche
Secluded place of refuge
tucked away · private · quiet · retreat · secret · remote · cloistered · enclosed
Nature spirit or larva
- oracleAuthoritative wisdom source
- seerOne who envisions futures
- enchantmentMagical influence over someone
- underworldRealm of the departed
Calypso · Odysseus · Polyphemus · Cyclops · Sibyl · legend · deity · supernatural
Absence of good judgment
- rockworkConstructed stone arrangements
- artificialMade, not natural
- fountainWater-spouting structure
- fernSpore-spreading vascular plant
moss · cascade · ornamental · Victorian · romantic · picturesque · water feature · landscape
stalactites
Mineral deposits hanging downward
- stalagmitesUpward-growing cave formations
- karstEroded soluble rock terrain
- limestoneCarbonate sedimentary rock
calcite · flowstone · drapery · sinter · chamber · cavern · underground · formation · minerals · bedrock
shrine
Sacred devotional place
pilgrimage · Madonna · Lourdes · votive · altar · devotion · blessed · apparition · niche · statue
hideaway
Secluded place of refuge
sheltered · tucked away · private · quiet · retreat · secret · remote · cloistered · enclosed · alcove
nymph
Nature spirit or larva
- oracleAuthoritative wisdom source
- seerOne who envisions futures
- enchantmentMagical influence over someone
underworld · Calypso · Odysseus · Polyphemus · Cyclops · Sibyl · legend · deity · supernatural · mystical
folly
Absence of good judgment
- rockworkConstructed stone arrangements
- artificialMade, not natural
- fountainWater-spouting structure
fern · moss · cascade · ornamental · Victorian · romantic · picturesque · water feature · landscape · estate
sea cave
Wave-eroded coastal cavity
- tidepoolCoastal rock hollow holding seawater
- coralMarine skeletal formation
- anemoneTentacled polyp or bloom
starfish · urchin · kelp · seaweed · mollusk · crustacean · octopus · seahorse · barnacle · blowhole
- cavescave, cavern, caves, caverns, ancient caves
- cave stuffcave art, cave paintings, stalactites, stalagmites, bats
- Chinese BuddhismBuddhist monasteries, Buddhist texts, Mahayana, Shaolin Temple, Shaolin
- garden folliesfolly, follies, gazebo, temples, ruins
- rocky shoresrocky shores, tidal pools, intertidal zone, rockpools, sea stacks
- sea cavessea caves, caverns, chambers, tunnels, passages
grottoesplateaus
Elevated flat terrain
clearings · open plains · plains · mesas · open fields
- Santa's grottoFestive display where children visit
- Blue GrottoIlluminated coastal cavern