cesspool

cesspool
cesspool NOUN an underground container for the temporary storage of liquid waste and sewage.
ORIGIN probably from archaic suspiral «vent, water pipe, settling tank», from Old French souspirail 'air hole' .

English terms dictionary. 2015.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cesspool — Cess pool ( p[=oo]l ), n. [See {Sesspol}.] A cistern in the course, or the termination, of a drain, to collect sedimentary or superfluous matter; a privy vault; any receptacle of filth. [Written also {sesspool}.] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cesspool — 1670s, the first element perhaps an alteration of CISTERN (Cf. cistern), perhaps an aphetic form of RECESS (Cf. recess); or the whole may be an alteration of suspiral (c.1400), drainpipe, from O.Fr. sospiral a vent, air hole, from sospirer… …   Etymology dictionary

  • cesspool — [ses′po͞ol΄] n. [< ? It cesso, privy < L secessus, place of retirement (in LL, privy, drain): see SECEDE] 1. a deep hole or pit in the ground, usually covered, to receive drainage or sewage from the sinks, toilets, etc. of a house 2. a… …   English World dictionary

  • cesspool — [17] Cesspool has no direct etymological connection with pool. It comes from Old French suspirail ‘ventilator, breathing hole’, a derivative of souspirer ‘breathe’ (this goes back to Latin suspīrāre, source of the archaic English suspire ‘sigh’) …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • cesspool — UK [ˈsesˌpuːl] / US [ˈsesˌpul] noun [countable] Word forms cesspool : singular cesspool plural cesspools a cesspit …   English dictionary

  • cesspool — [17] Cesspool has no direct etymological connection with pool. It comes from Old French suspirail ‘ventilator, breathing hole’, a derivative of souspirer ‘breathe’ (this goes back to Latin suspīrāre, source of the archaic English suspire ‘sigh’) …   Word origins

  • cesspool — noun Etymology: perhaps by folk etymology from Middle English suspiral vent, tap on a main pipe, settling pool, from Anglo French, suspirale vent, from suspirer to sigh, exhale, from Latin suspirare, literally, to draw a long breath more at… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • cesspool — /ses poohl /, n. 1. a cistern, well, or pit for retaining the sediment of a drain or for receiving the sewage from a house. 2. any filthy receptacle or place. 3. any place of moral filth or immorality: a cesspool of iniquity. [1575 85; cess ( …   Universalium

  • cesspool — [[t]se̱spuːl[/t]] cesspools N COUNT A cesspool is the same as a cesspit …   English dictionary

  • cesspool — /ˈsɛspul / (say sespoohl) noun 1. a cistern, well, or pit for retaining the sediment of a drain or for receiving waste from a sewerage system, etc. 2. any filthy receptacle or place: a cesspool of iniquity. {alteration of cesperalle, from Old… …  

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”