cenote

American  

[suh-noh-tee] / səˈnoʊ ti /

noun

1. a deep natural well or sinkhole, especially in Central America, formed by the collapse of surface limestone that exposes groundwater underneath.

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cenote British  

/ sɪˈnəʊteɪ /

noun

1. (esp in the Yucatán peninsula) a natural well formed by the collapse of an overlying limestone crust: often used as a sacrificial site by the Mayas

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Etymology

Origin of cenote

First recorded in 1835–45; from Mexican Spanish, from Yucatec Mayan tz'onot

Example Sentences

They offer temazcal baths, traditional Mayan steam rooms meant to purify and relax the body, and charge visiting foreigners to swim in a nearby cenote.

From Seattle Times • May 30, 2024

Inside the cenote, there is a constant sound of dripping as water percolates through the rock into translucent pools below.

From BBC • Dec. 14, 2023

So we filmed in Dahab, Egypt, in the Blue Hole with Alessia, in the Bahamas at the Vertical Blue competition and in a cenote in Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 20, 2023

We passed the so-called Bat Volcano, a dried-out cenote, or limestone sinkhole, that’s home to more than three million bats of eight species that swirl out into the air every evening at twilight.

From New York Times • Nov. 8, 2022

Dinny led on rapidly till they reached the turning in the direction of the old temple which contained the cenote.

From Commodore Junk by Fenn, George Manville