cistern
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cistern
- /ˈsɪs.tən/ UK
- /ˈsɪs.tɚn/ US
Rhymes with -ɪstə(ɹ)n
Where it comes from
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.
noun cisterns · cestern · cesterne
-
A reservoir or tank for holding water, especially for catching and holding rainwater for later use.
For cistern valves, they are well adapted—opening the full area upon the least descent of the ball, and are not liable to be set fast.
Similar: conservatory
- In a flush toilet, the container in which the water used for flushing is held; a toilet tank. 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.
- A shallow, typically oval, vessel made of porcelain, pottery, or glass.
- The receptacle that holds the fuel in an oil lamp. 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[.]
- A cisterna.
- The vessel surrounding the condenser in a steam engine.
Translations
Every language
noun reservoir for holding water
| Español | aljibe, cisterna |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 탱크 taengkeu, 수조 sujo |
| 日本語 | 水槽 suisō, 貯水槽 chosuisō, タンク tanku |
| 中文 | 水槽 shuǐcáo |
| हिन्दी | टंकी ṭaṅkī, जलाशय jalāśay, हौज़ hauz |
| Português | cisterna, algibe |
| Français | citerne |
| Deutsch | Zisterne |
| Italiano | cisterna |
| Ελληνικά | δεξαμενή dexamení, στέρνα stérna |
| Română | cisternă |
| Русский | цисте́рна cistɛ́rna, бак bak, резервуа́р rezervuár |
| العربية | صِهْرِيج ṣihrīj, فِنْطَاس finṭās, حَوْض ḥawḍ |
| עברית | גֵּב gev |
noun flush toilet's container
| Español | cisterna |
|---|---|
| Français | chasse d'eau |
| Deutsch | Spülkasten |
| Ελληνικά | καζανάκι kazanáki |
| Русский | бачо́к bačók |
Talk about this word "cistern." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cistern. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cistern. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cistern "cistern." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cistern.Cite this
@misc{cistern_2026,
title = {cistern},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cistern},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
