from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Tank \Tank\ (t[a^][ng]k), n. [Pg. tanque, L. stangum a pool; or
perhaps of East Indian origin. Cf. {Stank}, n.]
1. A large basin or cistern; an artificial receptacle for
liquids.
[1913 Webster]
2. A pond, pool, or small lake, natural or artificial.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
We stood in the afterglow on the bank of the tank
and saw the ducks come home. --F.
Remington.
The tanks are full and the grass is high. --Lawson.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
3. (Mil.) a heavily armored combat vehicle which moves on
caterpillar treads, rather than wheels. It typically
carries a cannon and a heavy machine, and sometimes other
weapons. It is the main distinguishing weapon of an
armored division.
[PJC]
4. a jail cell for temporarily holding prisoners, as in a
police station.
[PJC]
{Tank engine}, a locomotive which carries the water and fuel
it requires, thus dispensing with a tender.
{Tank iron}, plate iron thinner than boiler plate, and
thicker than sheet iron or stovepipe iron.
{Tank worm} (Zool.), a small nematoid worm found in the water
tanks of India, supposed by some to be the young of the
Guinea worm.
[1913 Webster]