Cistern

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Cistern \Cis"tern\, n. [OE. cisterne, OF. cisterne, F. cisterne,
     fr. L. cisterna, fr. cista box, chest. See {Cist}, and cf.
     {chest}.]
     1. An artificial reservoir or tank for holding water, beer,
        or other liquids.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. A natural reservoir; a hollow place containing water. "The
        wide cisterns of the lakes." --Blackmore.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  cistern
       n 1: a sac or cavity containing fluid especially lymph or
            cerebrospinal fluid [syn: {cisterna}]
       2: a tank that holds the water used to flush a toilet [syn: {water
          tank}]
       3: an artificial reservoir for storing liquids; especially an
          underground tank for storing rainwater

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  43 Moby Thesaurus words for "cistern":
     artificial lake, bayou lake, dam, dead water, dike, etang,
     farm pond, fishpond, freshwater lake, glacial lake, inland sea,
     lagoon, laguna, lake, lakelet, landlocked water, linn, loch, lough,
     mere, millpond, millpool, nyanza, oxbow lake, plash, pond, pondlet,
     pool, puddle, reservoir, salina, salt pond, stagnant water,
     standing water, still water, sump, tank, tarn, tidal pond,
     volcanic lake, water hole, water pocket, well
  
  

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Cistern
     the rendering of a Hebrew word _bor_, which means a receptacle
     for water conveyed to it; distinguished from _beer_, which
     denotes a place where water rises on the spot (Jer. 2:13; Prov.
     5:15; Isa. 36:16), a fountain. Cisterns are frequently mentioned
     in Scripture. The scarcity of springs in Palestine made it
     necessary to collect rain-water in reservoirs and cisterns (Num.
     21:22). (See {WELL}.)
     
       Empty cisterns were sometimes used as prisons (Jer. 38:6; Lam.
     3:53; Ps. 40:2; 69:15). The "pit" into which Joseph was cast
     (Gen. 37:24) was a _beer_ or dry well. There are numerous
     remains of ancient cisterns in all parts of Palestine.