Cistern

This article is about water storage tanks. For other uses, see Cistern (disambiguation).
Portuguese cistern (Mazagan), El Jadida, Morocco (1514)
The difference between a cistern and a well is in the source of the water: a cistern collects fresh water where a well draws from groundwater.

A cistern (from Middle English cisterne; from Latin cisterna, from cista 'box'; from Ancient Greek κίστη (kístē) 'basket'[1]) is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater.[2] To prevent leakage, the interior of the cistern is often lined with hydraulic plaster.[3]

Cisterns are distinguished from wells by their waterproof linings. Modern cisterns range in capacity from a few litres to thousands of cubic meters, effectively forming covered reservoirs.[4]

  1. ^ "cistern". Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary (9th ed.). 1990.
  2. ^ "Cisterns". National Geographic Society.
  3. ^ Reich, Ronny; Katzenstein, Hannah (1992). "Glossary of Archaeological Terms". In Kempinski, Aharon; Reich, Ronny (eds.). The Architecture of Ancient Israel. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society. p. 312. ISBN 978-965-221-013-5.
  4. ^ "Cistern Design" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Retrieved 2020-04-13.