cistern

CEFRB2

/ˈsɪs.tən/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A container for storing water, often underground.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A shallow, typically oval, vessel made of porcelain, pottery, or glass.

Examples

  • My father is waiting for us at the cistern.

  • The cistern is empty.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. In a flush toilet, the container in which the water used for flushing is held; a toilet tank.

  2. A reservoir or tank for holding water, especially for catching and holding rainwater for later use.

  3. The receptacle that holds the fuel in an oil lamp.

More examples

In context

  • 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.

  • On a broad ledge near the top, we found a stone cabin. Higher up was a cistern and a few more terraces.

  • 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.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The old house collected rainwater in a large underground blank.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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.