backwater
pronunciation
How to pronounce backwater in British English:
UK [ˈbækwɔ:tə(r)]
How to pronounce backwater in American English:
US [ˈbækˌwɔtɚ, -ˌwɑtɚ]
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- Noun:
- a body of water that was created by a flood or tide or by being held or forced back by a dam
- any backward region that is isolated from the world and resists progress
Word Origin
- backwater (n.)
- late 14c., "water behind a dam," from back (adj.) + water (n.1). Hence flat water without a current near a flowing river, as in a mill race (1820); figurative use of this for any flat, dull place is from 1899.
Example
- 1. For many years , the commodities sector was an economic backwater .
- 2. If policymakers leave commodities trading unattended , this erstwhile backwater could one day become a sea of economic troubles .
- 3. We didn 't see any river rocks , but this kind of lamination looked a lot like lake or backwater channel deposits .
- 4. To protect against future flooding , check with a plumber to have a backwater valve installed , because it sounds like your home currently does not have one .
- 5. These deposits look suspiciously like some kind of lake or backwater channel deposits , but they are several hundred meters above the current valley floor and underneath loess deposits in terraces .