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

• 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.

Example Sentences

In the early 19th century, additional classrooms were fashioned out of old Revolutionary War military barracks on what is now the western side of Cistern Yard.

From Washington Times • May 1, 2021

Its scale and ingenuity are certainly impressive, but it lacks the grandeur of, say, the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul.

From The Guardian • Sep. 1, 2019

Hungerford said they’re studying Steamboat’s connection to other features in the area besides Cistern Spring.

From Washington Times • May 23, 2018

The centerpiece was Cistern, a tag-like game of ritualized water raiding that seeks to minimize violence in the struggle over a scarce resource.

From Slate • Aug. 5, 2016

It's storing it in Lewis's spacesuit, which I'll call "The Cistern" from now on, because it sounds cooler.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir