reservoir
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a large natural or artificial lake used to store water for a city or region.
n.a large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply for domestic, industrial, or agricultural use.
Simple“The city built a new reservoir in the hills to ensure there was enough water during the dry summer.”
In context“Following the prolonged drought, the water level in the main reservoir dropped to its lowest point since the dam was constructed forty years ago.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
n.a large amount or source of something, like knowledge, energy, or feelings.
n.a large supply or source of something, often used figuratively for abstract qualities or resources.
Simple“She has a deep reservoir of patience when dealing with difficult customers.”
In context“The researcher tapped into a vast reservoir of historical data that had previously been overlooked by the academic community.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
n.a person or animal that carries a disease without getting sick, allowing the disease to survive and spread.
n.a population or species that serves as a host for a pathogen, maintaining it over time and potentially transmitting it to other species.
Simple“Scientists believe that certain types of bats act as a reservoir for the virus.”
In context“Identifying the animal reservoir is a critical step in preventing the spillover of zoonotic diseases into human populations.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
n.a part of a computer system that processes signals in a complex way.
n.a fixed, usually non-linear dynamical system used to map input signals into a high-dimensional space in reservoir computing.
Simple“The reservoir in this neural network helps process data more efficiently.”
In context“In reservoir computing, the internal states of the reservoir are sampled and mapped to the desired output through a trained linear layer.”
- 05 C2 Proficiency
v.to keep or store something in a large supply.
v.to store or accumulate something in or as if in a reservoir. Transitive use is less common than the noun form.
Simple“The system is designed to reservoir excess energy during the day for use at night.”
In context“The geological formation has the capacity to reservoir significant quantities of natural gas beneath the cap rock.”
SynonymsAntonymsdistributedeplete
“So we are acting now: more money into farm support, help to get reservoirs built and easier access to water when it is scarce.”
“Our three main sources of water are rivers, reservoirs and from deep underground.”
From French réservoir (“collection place”) (fig.), réservoir (“storehouse”) (lit.). in turn from French réserver (“to reserve, keep”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.