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backwater

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.02 sec.
back·wa·ter  (bktr, -wtr)
n.
1.
a. Water held or pushed back by or as if by a dam or current.
b. A body of water thus formed.
2. A place or situation regarded as isolated, stagnant, or backward: "The running of family fortunes has always been a backwateralbeit a lucrative oneof the investment management business" (Business Week).
3. A rowing or paddling stroke in which the oar or paddle is pushed forward, used to check a boat's forward motion or move it backward.

backwater [ˈbækˌwɔːtə]
n
1. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) a body of stagnant water connected to a river
2. water held or driven back, as by a dam, flood, or tide
3. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) an isolated, backward, or intellectually stagnant place or condition
vb back water
(Team Sports / Rowing) (intr) to reverse the direction of a boat, esp to push the oars of a rowing boat
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.backwaterbackwater - 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"
body of water, water - the part of the earth's surface covered with water (such as a river or lake or ocean); "they invaded our territorial waters"; "they were sitting by the water's edge"
2.backwaterbackwater - a place or condition in which no development or progress is occurring; "the country is an economic backwater"
region - a large indefinite location on the surface of the Earth; "penguins inhabit the polar regions"

backwater
noun isolated place, backwoods, remote place, sleepy town, secluded spot a quiet rural backwater
Translations
backwater [ˈbækwɔːtəʳ] N
1. [of river] → remanso m
2. (fig) → lugar m atrasado
backwater [ˈbækwɔːtər] n
(= backward place) → coin m perdu
to be a cultural backwater → être un désert culturel
to be an economic backwater → être en retard économiquement
(= peaceful place) → coin m reculé, coin m tranquille
backwater [ˈbækˌwɔːtəʳ] nacqua stagnante (fig) (pej) → buco, angolo sperduto
this town is a cultural backwater → questa città è culturalmente arretrata
backwater [ˈbækˌwɔːtəʳ] nacqua stagnante (fig) (pej) → buco, angolo sperduto
this town is a cultural backwater → questa città è culturalmente arretrata


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
And so you're still as ever enjoying your peaceful, quiet happiness," he said, smiling, "out of the reach of the current in your peaceful backwater.
One had the sense of a backwater, or rather of an estuary, whose waters flowed in from the invisible sea, and ebbed into a profound silence while the waves without were still beating.
The nearest he ever got to meditation was a sort of trance-like state, a kind of suspended animation in which his mind drifted sluggishly like a log in a backwater.
 
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