chinampa

[ chi-nam-puh ]

noun
  1. (in Mesoamerica) a long and narrow floating field on a shallow lake bed, artificially built up by layering soil, sediment, and decaying vegetation and used, especially by the Aztecs, to grow crops.

Origin of chinampa

1
1830–40; <Mexican Spanish <Nahuatl <chinamitl area enclosed by canes + pa on

Words Nearby chinampa

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chinampa in a sentence

  • Do you recollect the dream I told you the night on the chinampa?

    The Fair God | Lew Wallace
  • Up in the northeastern part of the little sea lay a chinampa at anchor.

    The Fair God | Lew Wallace