Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “cisterne” come from?

cisterne (Old French) comes from Latin cisterna, from Latin cista, from Ancient Greek κύστις, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kewH- — to cover, bedeck; cover.

Ancestry of “cisterne”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latincisternacistern, tank , reservoir
2Latincistaa trunk, a chest, a casket; vocative singular of...
3Ancient Greekκύστιςbladder
4Proto-Indo-European(s)kewH-to cover, bedeck; cover

Words derived from “cisterne”

  • cistern
  • cisternal
  • intracisternal
  • cisternography
  • intracisternally
  • cisternful
  • multicisternal
  • citerne
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kewH- →