cistern

American  

[sis-tern] / ˈsɪs tərn /

noun

1. a reservoir, tank, or container for storing or holding water or other liquid.

2. Anatomy. a reservoir or receptacle of some natural fluid of the body.

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cistern British  

/ sɪˈstɜːnəl, ˈsɪstən /

noun

1. a tank for the storage of water, esp on or within the roof of a house or connected to a WC

2. an underground reservoir for the storage of a liquid, esp rainwater

3. anatomy another name for cisterna

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cisternal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cistern

1250–1300; Middle English cistern ( e ) < Latin cisterna, equivalent to cist ( a ) ( see cist ¹) + -erna noun suffix

Explanation

A cistern is an underground tank that holds water. A long time ago, cistern water was used for drinking, but nowadays developed parts of the world mainly use it for watering plants and flushing toilets. The oldest cisterns that we know of were built in the Middle East about 12,000 years ago, which is around when farming was invented. That's no coincidence. It would be tough to collect enough water to grow barley and wheat without storing the water in something, especially in a place as dry as the Middle East.