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cistern

[sis-tern]
See more synonyms for cistern on Thesaurus.com
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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Origin of cistern

1250–1300; Middle English cistern(e) < Latin cisterna, equivalent to cist(a) (see cist1) + -erna noun suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for cistern

Historical Examples

  • He emptied the cistern, and cleansed it, with plentiful washings.

    Tiverton Tales

    Alice Brown

  • He said, no; said the cistern was awful low and 'twould use up all the water.

    Cy Whittaker's Place

    Joseph C. Lincoln

  • To prove she was wrong he went and pried the cistern cover off to look, and fell in.

    Cy Whittaker's Place

    Joseph C. Lincoln

  • He forced open some of the packing-cases which were piled near the cistern.

    The Island Mystery

    George A. Birmingham

  • We know the exact geography even of the larder and the cistern.

British Dictionary definitions for cistern

cistern

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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Derived Formscisternal (sɪˈstɜːnəl), adjective

Word Origin

C13: from Old French cisterne, from Latin cisterna underground tank, from cista box
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cistern

n.

mid-13c., from Old French cisterne "cistern; dungeon, underground prison" (12c., Modern French citerne), from Latin cisterna "underground reservoir for water," from cista "chest, box," from Greek kiste "box, chest" (see chest).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
cistern in Medicine

cistern

(sĭs′tərn)
n.
  1. A cisterna.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.