Dictionary

cesspool en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈsɛsˌpuːl/

Etymology

From earlier sesspool. Origin uncertain. Perhaps from Italian cesso (“privy, a toilet”) + English pool. Alternatively, an alteration of English dialectal suspool, from suss, soss (“a puddle; mire”) + pool. Another possible derivation is from a folk etymology (influence from pool) from earlier cesperalle, alteration of Middle English suspiral, from Middle French souspirail (“an air hole”), from soupirer, souspirer (“to sigh, breathe”), from Latin suspirare.

Meanings

1. An underground pit where sewage is held.
2. (broadly, derogatory, figuratively) A filthy place.
   • Under such circumstances, I naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained. 1887, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “A Study in Scarlet”, in Beeton’s Christmas Annual, London; New York, N.Y.: Ward, Lock & Co., part I (Being a reprint from the reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D., […]), chapter I (Mr. Sherlock Holmes), page 2:

Forms

Coordinates

septic tank

Deriveds

cesspipe

Synonyms

cesspit · cesspit · gongpit

Translations (57)

de Versitzgrube (place for sewage) · pl szambo (filthy place) · fr fosse (place for sewage) · hu pöcegödör (place for sewage) · vo jiedotasep (place for sewage) · es pozo negro (place for sewage) · it pozzo nero (place for sewage) · hu emésztőgödör (place for sewage) · tl poso siyego (place for sewage) · de Senkgrube (place for sewage) · sv avloppsbrunn (place for sewage) · pl szambo (place for sewage) · fi likavesikaivo (place for sewage) · sv kloakbrunn (place for sewage) · es fosa séptica (place for sewage) · tr bok çukuru (filthy place) · sk žumpa (place for sewage) · ar بِئْر تَسْرِيب (place for sewage) · de Sickergrube (place for sewage) · el βόθρος (place for sewage) · mt ħarrajja (place for sewage) · cmn 糞坑 /粪坑 (place for sewage) · fi likakaivo (place for sewage) · it fossa biologica (place for sewage) · ru клоа́ка (filthy place) · hu űrgödör (place for sewage) · cs žumpa (place for sewage) · es sentina (filthy place) · es pozo ciego (place for sewage) · el καταβόθρα (place for sewage) · sv dypöl (filthy place) · fr fosse d’aisance (place for sewage) · ar بَيَّارَة صَرْف (place for sewage) · de Sumpf (filthy place) · pt chiqueiro (filthy place) · hu pöcegödör (filthy place) · gd poll-caca (place for sewage) · cmn 糞池 /粪池 (place for sewage) · it fogna (filthy place) · fi läävä (filthy place) · it cesso alla turca (place for sewage) · es cloaca (filthy place) · it fogna (place for sewage) · tr mezbele (place for sewage) · fr cloaque (filthy place) · sv kloak (filthy place) · cmn 污水池 (place for sewage) · fr porcherie (filthy place) · sh septička jama (place for sewage) · ar بَالُوعَة (place for sewage) · ru выгребна́я я́ма (place for sewage) · nl beerput (place for sewage) · cmn 污穢的地方 /污秽的地方 (filthy place) · pt fossa (place for sewage) · sv träsk (filthy place) · ru сто́чный коло́дец (place for sewage) · tl poso syego (place for sewage)