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Cistern vs Cesspool - What's the difference?

cistern | cesspool |

As nouns the difference between cistern and cesspool

is that cistern is a reservoir or tank for holding water, especially for catching and holding rainwater for later use while cesspool is an underground pit where sewage is held.

cistern

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A reservoir or tank for holding water, especially for catching and holding rainwater for later use.
  • * 1913 , A.C. Cotter, ",
    • Their extreme necessity is attested by the countless number of old, unused cisterns with which the Holy Land is literally honeycombed.
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year=2001 , author=Philip J. King and Lawrence E. Stager , title=Life in Biblical Israel , chapter=3 , isbn=0664221483 , page=126 , passage=Cisterns (bôr'', ''b?'r ), mentioned frequently in the Bible, are artificial reservoirs, usually cut into bedrock, for collecting and conserving rain runoff from roofs and courtyards.}}
  • (technical) In a flush toilet, the container in which the water used for flushing is held; a toilet tank.
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year=2003 , author=Allan Windust , title=Waterwise House & Garden: a Guide for Sustainable Living , chapter=9 , isbn=0643068007 , page=36 , passage=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.}}
  • (anatomy) A cisterna.

    • Anagrams

    * ----

    cesspool

    English

    Alternative forms

    * cess pool

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An underground pit where sewage is held.
  • (by extension) A filthy place.

    • Synonyms

    * septic tank * cesspit