dead water

American  

noun

1. water eddying beside a moving hull, especially directly astern.

2. a part of a stream where there is a slack current.

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Etymology

Origin of dead water

First recorded in 1555–65

Example Sentences

The program also takes a detour to a dead water buffalo, which is nearby and might explain why the local lions haven’t shown more interest in the hippo.

From New York Times • Sep. 14, 2012

Was the dead water rat on the path an accident or a tribute to Damien Hirst?

From The Guardian • Aug. 25, 2012

That man-made area of dead water, called a hypoxic zone, is second in size only to a similar zone in the Baltic Sea.

From New York Times • Jul. 30, 2010

He came back a few months later with a sketch locating the grave, but when Diem's coolies began digging, they found only the bones of dead water buffaloes.

From Time Magazine Archive

Air was trying to get out of that dead water.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut