A large underground pit or tank where waste, sewage, or rainwater collects and is stored or allowed to seep into the ground.
Compound of cess (possibly from assess or from an older English word meaning a tax or levy, but likely folk-etymologized to cesspool) and pit. The term became standard in the 19th century for describing waste disposal systems.
Cesspits are one of those unglamorous inventions that made modern civilization possible—they transformed cities from disease-ridden chaos into places where people didn't die constantly from dysentery.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.