cistern
Americannoun
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a reservoir, tank, or container for storing or holding water or other liquid.
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Anatomy. a reservoir or receptacle of some natural fluid of the body.
noun
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a tank for the storage of water, esp on or within the roof of a house or connected to a WC
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an underground reservoir for the storage of a liquid, esp rainwater
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anatomy another name for cisterna
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing cistern
The Magician's Nephew
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Surviving Hitler
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Whether the plumber directly caused the problem, failed to identify an underlying issue, or repaired one faulty component only for another to reveal itself, the result is the same: the cistern does not function properly.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
The cistern on my toilet has been constantly refilling and making a hissing noise, so I asked a plumbing company to send someone over.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
She’s taken, perversely, with John the Baptist, imprisoned in a cistern and prophesying doom for the decadent, Godless heathens, Salome in particular.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
Further samples in the coming months will determine if the cistern dates back to the same period as the roundhouses.
From BBC • Jan. 1, 2026
Then she ran the tap at the base of the cistern.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
