cesspool

cess·pool  (sspl)

n.

1. A covered hole or pit for receiving drainage or sewage, as from a house.

2. A filthy, disgusting, or morally corrupt place.

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[Perhaps alteration (influenced by pool) of obsolete cesperalle, drainpipe, from Middle English suspiral, vent, from Old French sospirail, breathing hole, from souspirer, to breathe, from Latin susprre, to sigh; see suspire.]

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cesspool [ˈsɛsˌpuːl], cesspit [ˈsɛsˌpɪt]

n

1. (Miscellaneous Technologies / Building) Also called sink sump a covered cistern, etc., for collecting and storing sewage or waste water

2. a filthy or corrupt place a cesspool of iniquity

[changed (through influence of pool¹) from earlier cesperalle, from Old French souspirail vent, air, from soupirer to sigh; see suspire]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

cesspool - a covered cistern; waste water and sewage flow into it cesspit, sump, sink cistern - an artificial reservoir for storing liquids; especially an underground tank for storing rainwater

Translations

cesspool [ˈsɛspuːl] n → fosse f d'aisance

cesspool

n

→ Senk- or Jauchegrube f, → Latrine f

(fig) → Sumpf m; a cesspool of vice → ein Sündenpfuhl m