backwater : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: backwater	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for backwater
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
backwater n 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" a place or condition in which no development or progress is occurring; "the country is an economic backwater"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Backwater \Back"wa`ter\, n. [Back, a. or adv. + -ward. ] 1. Water turned back in its course by an obstruction, an opposing current, or the flow of the tide, as in a sewer or river channel, or across a river bar. 2. An accumulation of water overflowing the low lands, caused by an obstruction. 3. Water thrown back by the turning of a waterwheel, or by the paddle wheels of a steamer.