kiva

American  

[kee-vuh] / ˈki və /

noun

1. a large chamber, often wholly or partly underground, in a Pueblo Indian village, used for religious ceremonies and other purposes.

---

kiva British  

/ ˈkiːvə /

noun

1. a large underground or partly underground room in a Pueblo Indian village, used chiefly for religious ceremonies

---

Etymology

Origin of kiva

1870–75, < Hopi kíva ( ki- house + unidentified element)

Example Sentences

“I felt that if I didn’t help, I would have to resign as pastor,” Fife said recently in Southside’s worship hall, which was modeled after an indigenous ceremonial structure known as a kiva.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 8, 2021

At Aztec Ruins, go semi-deep inside the only reconstructed kiva in the Southwest.

From Washington Post • May 1, 2018

It’s an art space, but it also felt, to me, like a holy one, reminiscent of a kiva.

From New York Times • Aug. 17, 2017

In the sorcerer’s kiva, archaeologists also found a mix of katsina and Catholic ritual objects and perhaps even signs of the presence of women.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2016

It was while he was sitting there, facing southeast, that he noticed how the four windows along the south wall of the kiva had a particular relationship to this late autumn position of the sun.

From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko