reservoir

noun

res·​er·​voir ˈre-zə-ˌvwär  -zər-  -ˌvwȯr 

 also  -ˌvȯi

1

: a place where something is kept in store: such 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

a

: a host organism in which an infectious agent (such as a bacterium or virus) that is pathogenic for some other species lives and multiplies typically without damaging the host

Note: A reservoir serves as a source from which transmission of infection and outbreaks of disease can occur.

It is the white-footed mouse that serves as a natural reservoir host for the spirochete B. [Borrelia] burgdorferi. These mice carry the spirochete without any apparent harm to themselves, and it is through feeding on infected mice that the immature stages of the tick acquire the spirochete.

—Suzanne Clothier et al.

also : a nonliving thing (such as soil or water) in which an infectious agent lives and multiplies and which serves as a source of infection similar to a host organism

b

: a part of the body that harbors an infectious agent and serves as a source of reinfection or infection transmission

… vulvar or rectal reservoirs, which might increase risk for BV [bacterial vaginosis] recurrence.

—Lisa E. Manhart et al.

compare carrier sense 5a, vector entry 1 sense 2a

Synonyms

• budget
• force
• fund
• inventory
• pool
• repertoire
• stock
• supply

Examples of reservoir in a Sentence

The pen has a large ink reservoir.

Colleges and universities provide reservoirs of talent for job recruiters.

She found the reservoirs of energy she needed to finish the job.

Recent Examples on the Web

Bullheads primarily inhabit lakes, ponds, and reservoirs, but they can be found in some rivers as well. —Outdoor Life, 30 Nov. 2023

In other Colorado River news, a $1.2-billion deal to protect the river’s biggest reservoirs may simply increase the price of existing programs that pay farmers to use less water, while doing little to create new savings. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023

Solar-panel farms are being installed on hillsides, rooftops, and pastures, and, more and more, in floating arrays in harbors or reservoirs. —Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 27 Nov. 2023

The 34-room property, named after a prolific local tree and the region’s reservoir, is the newest destination from the Foster Supply Hospitality, which specializes in upstate New York gems like the fine-dining DeBruce lodge and the lakeside Kenoza Hall hotel. —Samantha Falewée, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2023

Exxon will also be extracting lithium-rich brine from reservoirs about 10,000 feet (3,000 m) underground. —Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 13 Nov. 2023

It was first identified in pigs in Malaysia and Singapore in the late 1980s, though its natural reservoir is fruit bats. —Byerin Prater, Fortune Well, 10 Nov. 2023

But no matter how low its reservoirs sink, the historic claims of these families and all of Imperial County place them first in line — ahead of every state and major city — for whatever water remains. —Janet Wilson, ProPublica, 9 Nov. 2023

Sometimes these ash reservoirs burst, as happened disastrously in Tennessee in 2008, so communities do not like them in their backyards. —Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

French réservoir, from Middle French, from reserver

First Known Use

1690, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

reservoir

noun

res·​er·​voir ˈrez-ə(r)v-ˌwär  -ə(r)v-ˌ(w)ȯr 

1

: a place where something is kept in store

especially : an artificial or natural lake where water is collected as a water supply

2

: an extra supply : reserve

3

: a living thing (as a fly or mouse) in which a parasite (as a bacterium) that is harmful to some other living thing lives and multiplies

Etymology

from French réservoir "place where something is kept in reserve," from reserver "to reserve, keep for future use"

Medical Definition

reservoir

noun

res·​er·​voir ˈrez-ə(r)v-ˌwär  -ə(r)v-ˌ(w)ȯr 

1

: a space (as an enlargement of a vessel or the cavity of a glandular acinus) in which a body fluid is stored

2

a

: a host organism in which an infectious agent (as a bacterium or virus) that is pathogenic for some other species lives and multiplies typically without damaging the host

Note: A reservoir serves as a source from which transmission of infection and outbreaks of disease can occur.

Wild rodents also constitute a reservoir of hantaviruses. The viruses are shed in urine, droppings, and saliva, and humans are mainly infected aerogenically by inhaling aerosols containing the virus.

—Hilde Kruse et al., Emerging Infectious Diseases

also : a nonliving thing (as soil or water) in which an infectious agent lives and multiplies and which serves as a source of infection similar to a host organism

b

: a part of the body that harbors an infectious agent and serves as a source of reinfection or infection transmission

… vulvar or rectal reservoirs, which might increase risk for BV [bacterial vaginosis] recurrence.

—Lisa E. Manhart et al., Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology

carrier sense 1a, vector entry 1 sense 2