Link Centre Dictionary

backwater

back·wa·ter

US/ˈbæˌkwɔtɜr/ uncommon

noun

1.

a body of water that was created by a flood or tide or by being held or forced back by a dam

  • “the bayous and backwaters are breeding grounds for mosquitos”
2.

any backward region that is isolated from the world and resists progress

Origin

From back + water.

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.