FluentPlex

backwater

noun C2
  1. The water held back by a dam or other obstruction.
  2. A remote place: somewhere that remains unaffected by new events, progresses, ideas, etc; any field of endeavor that figuratively resembles such a place. (figuratively) · Near-synonyms: (place) jerkwater town, one-horse town, Podunk; see also Thesaurus:remote place· an academic backwater
  3. A rowing stroke in which the oar is pushed forward to stop the boat; see back water
  4. Water used in the papermaking process. Recycled to reduce usage of fresh water, and usually containing residual amounts of chemicals and fibres.

Plural backwaters

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In half an hour we had reached Pitt Street, a quiet little backwater just beside one of the briskest currents of London life.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes, p. 73 · C1

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Words, meanings, pronunciations and translations from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); how common each word is from wordfreq. Made into this dictionary by FluentPlex.