backwater Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun 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. noun a place or condition in which no development or progress is occurring
    • the country is an economic backwater

WordNet

Back"wa`ter noun
Etymology
Back, a. or adv. + -ward.
Definitions
  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.

Webster 1913