cistern
noun
cis·tern ˈsi-stərn 
1
: an artificial reservoir (such as an underground tank) for storing liquids and especially water (such as rainwater)
2
: a large usually silver vessel formerly used (as in cooling wine) at the dining table
3
: a fluid-containing sac or cavity in an organism
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The drama of this novel accumulates slowly, like the fresh water in their cistern. 
Ron Charles, Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2022 The school, founded in 1902 to educate the children of mining families, was for much of its history getting water from a well, pump and cistern on a nearby hill, said Will Anderson, the school’s executive director. Rick Childress, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2022 Rebates are available from SoCal WaterSmart at $35 per barrel and $250 per cistern. Melissa Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2022 The cistern is completely closed off from the neighborhood water supply and has been for a while. Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 24 June 2022 The plumbing—enough for a pair of sinks, a shower, and eventually a washing machine—was fed by an outdoor cistern, which was refilled every few months by a neighbor who owned a pump truck. Michelle Nijhuis, The New York Review of Books, 25 May 2022 Initially, the government said that Escobar died by accidentally falling into the cistern and drowning. Mariana Limón Rugerio, refinery29.com, 3 May 2022 Then, the cherries’ flesh is removed, and the remaining seeds — known widely as beans — go to a cistern to ferment. New York Times, 20 May 2022 How the Devil’s Hole pupfish has survived for centuries in a spa-like cistern cloistered by a barren rock mountain in Death Valley National Park remains a biological mystery. Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2022 See More
Ron Charles, Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2022 The school, founded in 1902 to educate the children of mining families, was for much of its history getting water from a well, pump and cistern on a nearby hill, said Will Anderson, the school’s executive director. Rick Childress, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2022 Rebates are available from SoCal WaterSmart at $35 per barrel and $250 per cistern. Melissa Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2022 The cistern is completely closed off from the neighborhood water supply and has been for a while. Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 24 June 2022 The plumbing—enough for a pair of sinks, a shower, and eventually a washing machine—was fed by an outdoor cistern, which was refilled every few months by a neighbor who owned a pump truck. Michelle Nijhuis, The New York Review of Books, 25 May 2022 Initially, the government said that Escobar died by accidentally falling into the cistern and drowning. Mariana Limón Rugerio, refinery29.com, 3 May 2022 Then, the cherries’ flesh is removed, and the remaining seeds — known widely as beans — go to a cistern to ferment. New York Times, 20 May 2022 How the Devil’s Hole pupfish has survived for centuries in a spa-like cistern cloistered by a barren rock mountain in Death Valley National Park remains a biological mystery. Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Latin cisterna, from cista box, chest — more at chest
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
cistern
noun
cis·tern ˈsi-stərn
: an artificial reservoir or tank for storing water usually underground
Medical Definition
cistern
noun
cis·tern ˈsis-tərn
: a fluid-containing sac or cavity in an organism
cisterns
noun
as in vats
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- vats
- tubs
- drums
- pipes
- casks
- kegs
- hogsheads
- firkins
- barrels
- puncheons
- scuttlebutt
- tuns
- butts
- cans
- kilderkins
- runlets
- rundlets