cenote

Where does the word "cenote" come from? It comes from Yucatec Maya tsonot, passing through Spanish before entering English (1890s).

Cenote’s story begins in Yucatec Maya: tsonot meant “a natural sinkhole.” A natural sinkhole exposing groundwater, sacred in ancient Maya religion. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as cenote. The Maya treated cenotes as sacred; offerings were thrown into the Sacred Cenote at Chichén Itzá. It reached English by 1890s as cenote. John Lloyd Stephens's travel accounts of the 1840s described Yucatán's cenotes. Today, cenote means a natural sinkhole formed by collapsed limestone, exposing groundwater below.

1. Stage 1 · Yucatec Maya · ancient tsonot "a natural sinkhole", a natural sinkhole exposing groundwater, sacred in ancient Maya religion.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1500s cenote "a natural sinkhole exposing groundwater", the Maya treated cenotes as sacred; offerings were thrown into the Sacred Cenote at Chichén Itzá.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1890s cenote "a natural sinkhole exposing groundwater", John Lloyd Stephens's travel accounts of the 1840s described Yucatán's cenotes.