reservoir

Where does the word "reservoir" come from? It comes from Latin reservare, passing through French before entering English (1600s-1700s).

Reservoir’s story begins in Latin: reservare meant “to keep back, preserve.” Meaning "to keep back" or "preserve". By medieval, the word had taken hold in French as réserver. Kept the meaning of setting something aside. By 1600s-1700s, French speakers had reshaped it into réservoir. Applied to a place where water is stored. It reached English by 1600s-1700s as reservoir. From French 'réserver', to keep back; large reservoirs were built for Victorian cities. Today, reservoir means a natural or artificial lake used to store water for supply.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient reservare "to keep back, preserve", meaning "to keep back" or "preserve".
2. Stage 2 · French · medieval réserver "to reserve, set aside", kept the meaning of setting something aside.
3. Stage 3 · French · 1600s-1700s réservoir "a place for storing water", applied to a place where water is stored.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1600s-1700s reservoir "a large natural or artificial lake used to store water", from French 'réserver', to keep back; large reservoirs were built for Victorian cities.