cistern
/ˈsɪs.tɚn/noun
cistern is spelled C-I-S-T-E-R-N: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cistern means “A reservoir or tank for holding water, especially for catching and holding rainwater for later use” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cistern is cisterns.
How many letters and syllables are in cistern?
| Letters | 7: C-I-S-T-E-R-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 42,145th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is cistern?
Cistern appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce cistern?
- UK /ˈsɪs.tən/
- US /ˈsɪs.tɚn/
Cistern has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-cistern.ogg, En-au-cistern.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of cistern
- cisterns plural
- cestern
- cesterne
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cistern mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A reservoir or tank for holding water, especially for catching and holding rainwater for later use.
- 2
In a flush toilet, the container in which the water used for flushing is held; a toilet tank.
- 3
A shallow, typically oval, vessel made of porcelain, pottery, or glass.
- 4
The receptacle that holds the fuel in an oil lamp.
- 5
A cisterna.
- 6
The vessel surrounding the condenser in a steam engine.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cistern in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | citerne , chasse d'eau |
| German | Zisterne , Spülkasten |
| Portuguese | cisterna, algibe |
| Spanish | aljibe, cisterna |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does cistern come 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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).