Meanings
nouncenote (plural cenotes)
plural cenotes
- A deep natural well or sinkhole, especially in Mexico and Central America, formed by the collapse of surface limestone that exposes groundwater underneath, and sometimes used by the ancient Mayans for sacrificial offerings.
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Origin
- Yucatec Mayatsʼonoʼot“hole with water”
- Spanishcenote
- Englishcenote
From Spanish cenote, from Yucatec Maya tsʼonoʼot (“hole with water”).
More words from Spanish, Yucatec Maya
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic سِينُوتِي
- سِينُوتِي (sinōtē)deep natural well or sinkhole
Basque zenote, cenote
- zenotedeep natural well or sinkhole
- cenotedeep natural well or sinkhole
Danish ferskvandshul, cenote
- ferskvandshuldeep natural well or sinkhole
- cenotedeep natural well or sinkhole
Dutch cenote
- cenotedeep natural well or sinkhole
Finnish sortumakaivo
- sortumakaivodeep natural well or sinkhole
French cénote
- cénotedeep natural well or sinkhole
German Cenote
- Cenotedeep natural well or sinkhole
Greek σενότε
- σενότε (senóte)deep natural well or sinkhole
Hebrew סנוטה
- סנוטה (senóte)deep natural well or sinkhole
Italian cenote
- cenotedeep natural well or sinkhole
Japanese セノーテ
- セノーテ (senōte)deep natural well or sinkhole
Korean 세노테
- 세노테 (senote)deep natural well or sinkhole
Polish cenote
- cenotedeep natural well or sinkhole
Portuguese cenote
- cenotedeep natural well or sinkhole
Russian сено́т
- сено́т (senót)deep natural well or sinkhole
Spanish cenote
- cenotedeep natural well or sinkhole
Swedish cenote
- cenotedeep natural well or sinkhole
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
cenote. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cenote
MLA
“cenote.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cenote. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cenote,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cenote.
Source: cenote on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.