Cistern Meaning
/ˈsɪs.tən/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA reservoir or tank for holding water, especially for catching and holding rainwater for later use.
nounIn a flush toilet, the container in which the water used for flushing is held; a toilet tank.
Sentence Examples
The cistern is empty.
My father is waiting for us at the cistern.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The old house collected rainwater in a large underground ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We used a large ____ to collect the rainwater from the roof today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English cisterne, from Old French cisterne (Modern French citerne) from Latin cisterna, from cista (“box”), from Ancient Greek κίστη (kístē, “box”). Doublet of cisterna.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"On a broad ledge near the top, we found a stone cabin. Higher up was a cistern and a few more terraces."
— 1989, Octavia E. Butler, “Part III, Chapter 7”, in Imago, page 211:
"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."
— 2001, Philip J. King, Lawrence E. Stager, chapter 3, in Life in Biblical Israel, →ISBN, page 126:
"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."
— 2003, Allan Windust, chapter 9, in Waterwise House & Garden: a Guide for Sustainable Living, →ISBN, page 36:
"By next winter he was spending every evening poring over the work of Théodore Agrippa d'Aubigné on the French Reformation by the light of a little oil lamp, with a tiny cistern the size of an orange and no chimney[.]"
— 1977, K.M. Elizabeth Murray, Caught in the Web of Words, Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 22:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The old house collected rainwater in a large underground ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We used a large ____ to collect the rainwater from the roof today.