Meanings
plural cesspools · alternative cess pool · alternative sesspool
- An underground pit where sewage is held.
- broadlyderogatoryfigurativelyA 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 2Synonyms: cesspit
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA filthy place.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinsuspirare
- Middle Frenchsouspirail“an air hole”
- Middle Englishsuspiral
- Italiancesso“privy, a toilet”
- Englishcesspool
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.
More words from Italian, Middle English, Middle French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic بِئْر تَسْرِيب, بَيَّارَة صَرْف
- بِئْر تَسْرِيب (biʔr tasrīb)place for sewage
- بَيَّارَة صَرْفplace for sewage
- بَالُوعَة (bālūʕa)place for sewage
Chinese Mandarin 糞池 /粪池, 糞坑 /粪坑
- 糞池 /粪池 (fènchí)place for sewage
- 糞坑 /粪坑 (fènkēng)place for sewage
- 污水池 (wūshuǐchí)place for sewage
- 污穢的地方 /污秽的地方 (wūhuì de dìfang)filthy place
Czech žumpa
- žumpaplace for sewage
Dutch beerput
- beerputplace for sewage
Finnish likakaivo, likavesikaivo
- likakaivoplace for sewage
- likavesikaivoplace for sewage
- lääväfilthy place
French fosse d’aisance, fosse
- fosse d’aisanceplace for sewage
- fosseplace for sewage
- cloaquefilthy place
- porcheriefilthy place
German Sickergrube, Versitzgrube
- Sickergrubeplace for sewage
- Versitzgrubeplace for sewage
- Senkgrubeplace for sewage
- Sumpffilthy place
Greek βόθρος, καταβόθρα
- βόθρος (vóthros)place for sewage
- καταβόθρα (katavóthra)place for sewage
Hungarian pöcegödör, emésztőgödör
- pöcegödörplace for sewage
- emésztőgödörplace for sewage
- űrgödörplace for sewage
- pöcegödörfilthy place
Italian pozzo nero, fossa biologica
- pozzo neroplace for sewage
- fossa biologicaplace for sewage
- fognaplace for sewage
- cesso alla turcaplace for sewage
- fognafilthy place
Polish szambo, szambo
- szamboplace for sewage
- szambofilthy place
Portuguese fossa, chiqueiro
- fossaplace for sewage
- chiqueirofilthy place
Russian выгребна́я я́ма, сто́чный коло́дец
- выгребна́я я́ма (vygrebnája jáma)place for sewage
- сто́чный коло́дец (stóčnyj kolódec)place for sewage
- клоа́ка (kloáka)filthy place
Scottish Gaelic poll-caca
- poll-cacaplace for sewage
Slovak žumpa
- žumpaplace for sewage
Spanish pozo negro, pozo ciego
- pozo negroplace for sewage
- pozo ciegoplace for sewage
- fosa sépticaplace for sewage
- cloacafilthy place
- sentinafilthy place
Swedish avloppsbrunn, kloakbrunn
- avloppsbrunnplace for sewage
- kloakbrunnplace for sewage
- träskfilthy place
- dypölfilthy place
- kloakfilthy place
Tagalog poso siyego, poso syego
- poso siyegoplace for sewage
- poso syegoplace for sewage
Turkish mezbele, bok çukuru
- mezbeleplace for sewage
- bok çukurufilthy place
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
cesspool. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cesspool
“cesspool.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cesspool. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cesspool,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cesspool.
Source: cesspool on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.