[pi-sahy-nuh, pi-see-] 
[-nee] . Ecclesiastical. | a basin with a drain used for certain ablutions, now generally in the sacristy. |
| pi·sci·na (pĭ-sē'nə, -sī'nə, -shē'nə) n. pl. pi·sci·nae (-nē) Ecclesiastical A stone basin with a drain for carrying away the water used in ceremonial ablutions. [Middle English piscine, from Medieval Latin piscīna, from Latin, fishpond, pool, from piscis, fish.] pis'ci·nal (pĭs'ə-nəl) adj. |
piscina
in Roman times, an artificial reservoir used for swimming or as a fish pond. During the Middle Ages a piscina was a pool or tank in which fish were stored by monastic communities, for whose members fish was a staple item of diet.
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