Cistern

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈsɪs.tən/

Definitions

1. A water storage vessel typically found underground or aboveground, utilized for collecting rainwater and supplying water for various needs
2. A constructed reservoir, either subterranean or surface-level, intended for the collection and storage of water for irrigation or domestic purposes
3. A receptacle designed to collect and hold water for future use, often positioned above or below ground level

Etymology: The English word has a simple sibling in another language: "cisterna" in Latin, the direct ancestor, was a word for a underground water tank, and its root meant nothing more grand than "box." That root is the Ancient Greek "kistē," a basket or chest, and the same word lies behind the English "chest." So a water tank and a piece of furniture share a single origin. The path into English ran through Old French "cisterne," which later became modern French "citerne." English borrowed it in the Middle English period, when the word was used for a reservoir or tank for holding water. The Latin form "cisterna" also survives in English as a doublet, a separate borrowing from the same source that entered the language in a different form and with a somewhat different history.

Synonyms: tank, reservoir, container