Webster's English Dictionary

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sump

sump \'s*mp\ n [ME sompe swamp - more at SWAMP] [G sumpf, lit., marsh, fr. 
   MHG - more at SWAMP] 1: a pit or reservoir serving as a drain or receptacle 
   for liquids : as  1a: CESSPOOL  1b: a pit at the lowest point in a 
   circulating or drainage system (as the o il-circulating system of an 
   internal-combustion engine) chiefly Brit  1c: OIL PAN  Brit  2: CRANKCASE  
   3a: the lowest part of a mine shaft into which water drains  3b: an 
   excavation ahead of regular work in driving a mine tunnel or sinking  a 
   mine shaft