גְרוֹטַה

Perhaps borrowed from Italian grotta (“cave; grotto”); in any case, derived from Vulgar Latin *grupta, *crupta, derived from Classical Latin crypta (“underground passage, tunnel; crypt”), borrowed from Ancient Greek κρυπτή (kruptḗ, “crypt, vault”), derived from the verb κρύπτω (krúptō, “I hide; I conceal”), of unknown further etymology.

גְרוֹטַה (gəroṭah /grotta/) f

1. lair, den, hideout
   • 16^th century [750–450 BCE], “לוּ לִיבֵירוֹ דֵי יִרְמִיַהוּ [Lu libero de Jirmiau, The Book of Jeremiah]”, in נְבִיאִים [Neviim, Prophets]‎^[1] (manuscript), translation of נְבִיאִים (Nəvīʾīm, “Prophets”) (in Biblical Hebrew), chapter 7, verse 11, leaf 1, lines 24–26:

     סֵי גְרוֹטַה דֵי בְרַאוִי פֿוּ לַה קַאסַה קוּוֵיסְטַה קֵי פֿוּ קְלַאמַאטוֹ לוּ נוּמוֹ מִיאוֹ סוּפֵירַה דֵי אֵיסוֹ אִין וִיאֵינְטֵי דֵי ווּאִי אֵיצִיאַה אִייוֹ אֵיקוֹ וִידִי דִיטוֹ דֵי דוּמֵידֵית׃ (Judeo-Roman)

     se gəroṭah de bəraʔwi p̄u lah qaʔsah quwesəṭah qe p̄u qəlaʔmaʔṭo lu numo miʔo superah de ʔeso ʔin wiʔenəṭi de wuʔi ʔeṣiʔah ʔiyo ʔeqo widi diṭo de dumedeṯ.

     /["]Se grotta de bravi fu la casa questa — che fu clamato lu numo mio supera de esso — in vienti de vui, ezia ijo, ecco, vidi", ditto de Dumedeo./

     If this house—upon which my name has been called—has been a lair of burglars in your eyes, I too, behold, saw [it]", [was] the word of the Lord.