Reservoir Meaning
/ˈɹɛz.ə.vwɑː(ɹ)/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA place where anything is kept in store.
nounA large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply.
Sentence Examples
The town is supplied with water from a reservoir in the hills.
How long did it take to fill the Taksebt Dam reservoir in northeastern Algeria?
The Algerian dam of Taksebt has a deep reservoir.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The city's drinking water is stored in a large ____ located in the hills.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The city's main ____ was at its lowest level in thirty years following the prolonged summer drought.
Word Origin & History
From French réservoir (“collection place”) (fig.), réservoir (“storehouse”) (lit.). in turn from French réserver (“to reserve, keep”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Notwithstanding the way in which she had, in what she termed "the delicacy of her feelings," contrived to pour the receipts of the fancy fair into one reservoir, the duke and several other persons complimented Lady Anne very much on the superior beauty and value of her articles,..."
— 1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], chapter XLI, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 226:
"The vehicle is fitted with Westinghouse electro-pneumatic brake, and also a Northey exhauster with vacuum chamber and auxiliary reservoir adjacent to the guard's compartment for use when hauling vehicles equipped with vacuum brake gear."
— 1956 October, “Recent Changes on the Tyneside Electrified Lines”, in Railway Magazine, page 661:
"Within a printer cartridge, ink is typically stored in an ink reservoir and is deposited onto media through a print head."
— 2013, Siloxanes—Advances in Research and Application, page 42:
"To replace them and also to provide a reservoir for relief trains, a certain amount of spare stock must be kept on hand."
— 1962 September, Warren Smith, “The problems of coaching stock rostering and operation”, in Modern Railways, page 200:
"The goal is to draw on reservoirs of strength that defy rational thought, so you can wrench your poor, obsessed spirit away from work and orient it toward stuff that matters."
— 2007 November, Gil Schwartz, “Escape from the job monster”, in Men's Health, volume 22, number 9, →ISSN, page 122:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The city's drinking water is stored in a large ____ located in the hills.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The city's main ____ was at its lowest level in thirty years following the prolonged summer drought.