reservoir

[rez-er-vwahr, -vwawr, -vawr, rez-uh-]

noun

1. a natural or artificial place where water is collected and stored for use, especially water for supplying a community, irrigating land, furnishing power, etc.

2. a receptacle or chamber for holding a liquid or fluid.

3. Geology.,  pool16

4. Biology.,  a cavity or part that holds some fluid or secretion.

5. a place where anything is collected or accumulated in great amount.

   Synonyms: stockpile, fund, pool, store, hoard

6. a large or extra supply or stock; reserve.

   a reservoir of knowledge.

reservoir

/ ˈrɛzəˌvwɑː /

noun

1. a natural or artificial lake or large tank used for collecting and storing water, esp for community water supplies or irrigation

2. a receptacle for storing gas, esp one attached to a stove

3. biology a vacuole or cavity in an organism, containing a secretion or some other fluid

4. anatomy another name for cisterna

5. a place where a great stock of anything is accumulated

6. a large supply of something; reserve

   a reservoir of talent

reservoir

1. A natural or artificial pond or lake used for the storage of water.

2. An underground mass of rock or sediment that is porous and permeable enough to allow oil or natural gas to accumulate in it.

3. An organism that is the host for a parasitic pathogen or that directly or indirectly transmits a pathogen to which it is immune.

Word History and Origins

Origin of reservoir¹

1680–90; < French réservoir, equivalent to réserv ( er ) to reserve + -oir -ory ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of reservoir¹

C17: from French réservoir , from réserver to _reserve

Example Sentences

In Bolivia, fires affected over 9% of the country's remaining intact forest cover, which is a dramatic blow to a region that has historically served as a vital biodiversity reservoir and carbon sink.

From Science Daily

The Colorado River, which provides water across the Southwest, has lost about 20% of its flow in the last quarter-century, and its depleted reservoirs continue to decline.

From Los Angeles Times

In the Sierra Nevada, the snow that blankets the rugged landscape each winter melts and gushes in meadows, streams and rivers, nourishing alpine ecosystems and filling reservoirs.

From Los Angeles Times

Among the incident reports shared with the BBC were an occasion when a chemical spilled into a reservoir killing all its fish and which the EA did not attend.

From BBC

The ongoing water shortage on the Colorado River, where reservoirs are approaching critically low levels, is expected to force additional reductions in water use in the Southwest in the coming years.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• basin 
• cistern 
• container 
• lake 
• pond 
• pool 
• reserve 
• source 
• stockpile 
• storage 
• supply 
• tank