Reservoir

Origin

French réservoir (1510 in Middle French with reference to a lake, pool, or other natural or man-made reserve of water; from mid 16th cent. with reference to a store for other substances.

• 1690

Definitions

• 1: a place where something is kept in store: as a : an artificial lake where water is collected and kept in quantity for use

b : a part of an apparatus in which a liquid is held

c : supply, store <a large reservoir of educated people>

• 2: an extra supply : reserve
• 3: an organism in which a parasite that is pathogenic for some other species lives and multiplies usually without damaging its host.

Description

A reservoir is an artificial lake used to store water. Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.

The term reservoir may also be used to describe naturally-occurring underground reservoirs such as those beneath an oil or water well.[1]