Plural of cesspool; large underground tanks or pits for collecting sewage, waste water, or other waste.
Cesspool's origin is disputed: possibly from cess (an obsolete word for tax or assessment) + pool, or folk-etymologized from French suspiral. The term became standard for sewage systems by the 18th century.
Cesspools became a status symbol in the 19th century—having a proper one meant you had indoor plumbing and didn't rely on outhouses, which is why cesspool failures were literally crappy situations for Victorian homeowners.
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