Wiktionary

cistern

English

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WOTD – 17 August 2008
 
A rainwater cistern.
 
A wine cistern.

Etymology

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From Middle English cisterne, from Old French cisterne (Modern French citerne) from Latin cisterna, from cista (“box”), from Ancient Greek κίστη (kístē, “box”). Doublet of cisterna.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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cistern (plural cisterns)

  2. A reservoir or tank for holding water, especially for catching and holding rainwater for later use.
    • 1913, A.C. Cotter, Catholic Encyclopedia, "Wells in Scripture",
      Their extreme necessity is attested by the countless number of old, unused cisterns with which the Holy Land is literally honeycombed.
    • 2001, Philip J. King, Lawrence E. Stager, chapter 3, in Life in Biblical Israel, →ISBN, page 126:
      Cisterns (bôr, bō'r), mentioned frequently in the Bible, are artificial reservoirs, usually cut into bedrock, for collecting and conserving rain runoff from roofs and courtyards.
  3. In a flush toilet, the container in which the water used for flushing is held; a toilet tank.
    • 2003, Allan Windust, chapter 9, in Waterwise House & Garden: a Guide for Sustainable Living, →ISBN, page 36:
      It is possible to connect your tank to your toilet cistern and/or garden, so that even if the water is not drinkable it still can be used productively to make major water savings.
  4. A cisterna.
  5. The vessel surrounding the condenser in a steam engine.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Anagrams

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Swedish

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Noun

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cistern c

  1. cistern, tank

Declension

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Declension of cistern 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative cistern cisternen cisterner cisternerna
Genitive cisterns cisternens cisterners cisternernas
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