A reservoir or tank for holding water, especially for catching and holding rainwater for later use. / In a flush toilet, the container in which the water used for flushing is held; a toilet tank.

plural of cistern

(in combination) Having a specified kind or number of cistern.

plural of cisternful

As much as a cistern can hold.

(anatomy) Relating to cisterns or cisternae

cisterna magna

(now rare, East Anglia, Essex, Kent) A trough for pigs to eat from.

plural of cerebromedullary cistern

(cytology) A proposed transport mechanism of protein through the Golgi apparatus in which the cisternae move, beginning at the cis face and progressing via the medial face to the trans face.