cistern

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Contents

English[edit]

WOTD – 17 August 2008    

Etymology[edit]

From Old French cisterne (Modern French citerne) from Latin cisterna, from cista (“box”), from Ancient Greek κίστη (kistē, “box”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

cistern (plural cisterns)

  1. A reservoir or tank for holding water, especially for catching and holding rainwater for later use.
    • 1913, A.C. Cotter, Catholic Encyclopedia, "Wells in Scripture",
      Their extreme necessity is attested by the countless number of old, unused cisterns with which the Holy Land is literally honeycombed.
    • 2001, Philip J. King and Lawrence E. Stager, chapter 3, Life in Biblical Israel, ISBN 0664221483, page 126:
      Cisterns (bôr, bō'r), mentioned frequently in the Bible, are artificial reservoirs, usually cut into bedrock, for collecting and conserving rain runoff from roofs and courtyards.
  2. (technical) In a flush toilet, the container in which the water used for flushing is held; a toilet tank.
    • 2003, Allan Windust, chapter 9, Waterwise House & Garden: a Guide for Sustainable Living, ISBN 0643068007, page 36:
      It is possible to connect your tank to your toilet cistern and/or garden, so that even if the water is not drinkable it still can be used productively to make major water savings.
  3. (anatomy) A cisterna.

Translations[edit]

reservoir for holding water
flush toilet's container
cisterna — see cisterna

Anagrams[edit]

Swedish[edit]

Noun[edit]

cistern c

  1. cistern, tank

Declension[edit]

Declension of cistern
singular plural
Common indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative cistern cisternen cisterner cisternerna
genitive cisterns cisternens cisterners cisternernas
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