denotes a subterraneous reservoir of rainwater; or a vessel serving as a receptacle for rain or other water, for the necessary uses of a family.

There are likewise lead-cisterns, jar-cisterns, &c. See Plumbery and Jar.

Authors mention a cistern of Constantinople, the vaults of which are supported by two rows of pillars, 212 in each row, each pillar being two feet in diameter. They are planted circularly, and in radii tending to that of the center.