backwater

[bak-waw-ter, -wot-er]

noun

1. water held or forced back, as by a dam, flood, or tide.

2. a place or state of stagnant backwardness.

   This area of the country is a backwater that continues to resist progress.

3. an isolated, peaceful place.

4. a stroke executed by pushing a paddle forward, causing a canoe to move backward.

backwater

/ ˈbækˌwɔːtə /

noun

1. a body of stagnant water connected to a river

2. water held or driven back, as by a dam, flood, or tide

3. an isolated, backward, or intellectually stagnant place or condition

verb

1. (intr) to reverse the direction of a boat, esp to push the oars of a rowing boat

Word History and Origins

Origin of backwater¹

1350–1400; Middle English bakwateres; back ², water

Example Sentences

For millennia, sensational accounts like these were all that was known about these bygone backwaters of the ancient world.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

America’s transformation during the 19th century from an agrarian backwater into a global power was captained by men who engaged in maneuvers that would be completely illegal today but weren’t at the time.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Western adventurers have been turning up in Bali since the early 20th Century, when it was seen as an exotic backwater, home to Hindu temples and rice fields.

Read more on BBC

It had about three houses, and right in the middle there was a sign over a building saying “Casino,” and it had a slot machine in, so it was a real American backwater.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Once in Kerala, the film whizzes through a checklist of things a layperson might associate with the tourist-favourite state - its famous backwaters, the ubiquitous coconut trees, toddy, elephants, and Onam, its most popular festival.

Read more on BBC

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