sump - definition, synonyms and pronunciation

Open English WordNet

an oil reservoir in an internal combustion engineType of reservoir
a well or other hole in which water has collectedType of well
a covered cistern; waste water and sewage flow into itSynonyms: cesspool cesspit sinkType of cistern

Word of the day · Oct 14About this word

arcaneadjective

What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz

Sump noun

Origin: Cf. G. sumpf a sump in a mine, a swamp, akin to LG. sump, D. somp a swamp, Dan. & Sw. sump, and perhaps to E. swamp.

1. Metallurgy A round pit of stone, lined with clay, for receiving the metal on its first fusion. John Ray

2. The cistern or reservoir made at the lowest point of a mine, from which is pumped the water which accumulates there.

3. A pond of water for salt works. Knight, Edward Henry

4. A puddle or dirty pool. dialect (England)

Sump fuse, a fuse used in blasting under water. — Sump men Mining, the men who sink the sump in a mine.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54