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I came to the cistern page to find out if the term was only for underground tanks or could also be used for above-ground tanks. The page says at the top that "this article is about the underground reservoir". But lower on the page it has small sections dealing with toilet 'cisterns' and 'cisterns' for hand dipped showers. These are not underground. If there are other meanings of 'cistern', there ought to be another page to cover them. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 139.78.49.156 (talk) 14:38, 10 April 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I noticed the same thing. The statement here is not in agreement with the Wiktionary definition. Perusal of several engineering sites suggests that except for those inside buildings a cistern can be wholly or partially underground. Large outdoor containers that do not rest on the ground were referred to as tanks.
I also found that cisterns are not necessarily filled by rainwater; cisterns can be fed by stream or aqueduct.