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
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
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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.
It appeared to have been fed by a stream from a outcrop uphill, and archaeologists believe it may have been a water cistern to store fresh water.
From BBC • Jan. 1, 2026
Water to fight fires from a pool or from rainwater stored in tanks or a cistern.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2025
Solar or battery-operated pumps that draw from cistern, pool or other water source.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2025
Near the village of Jaun, a construction crew was laying pipes to deliver electricity and water from a new cistern to six local farms.
From New York Times • Jan. 21, 2024
A large plot stretched behind it with a cistern, a privy, a poor excuse for a garden, and at the far end, a carriage house and small stable.
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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.
