backwater

Anglais

(XIV^e siècle) Composé de back et de water^[1] ; le sens figuré date de 1879^[1] et est motivé par l’idée d’un endroit où tout stagne.

Singulier	Pluriel
backwater \ˈbæk.ˌwɔː.tə(ɹ)\ ou \ˈbæk.ˌwɒt.ə(ɹ)\	backwaters \ˈbæk.ˌwɔː.tə(ɹ)z\ ou \ˈbæk.ˌwɒt.ə(ɹ)z\

backwater \ˈbæk.ˌwɔː.tə(ɹ)\ ou \ˈbæk.ˌwɒt.ə(ɹ)\

(Géologie) Méandre abandonné, eau stagnante, retenue d’eau en amont d’un barrage.
- The gigantic Victoria regia, with leaves 6 to 7 ft. in diameter and flowers 8 to 16 in. across, also belongs to this group. It grows in the backwaters of the Amazon, often covering the surface for miles. — (« Water-lily », dans Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911)
  La traduction en français de l’exemple manque. (Ajouter)
(Sens figuré) Trou perdu, lieu arriéré.
- In the 19th century silt deposits began to block the harbour, and the city began to decline. To make matters worse, conservative elements in Lukang refused in the early 20th century to allow trains and modern highways to be built near their city. Lukang became a backwater, only to be reborn decades later when modern Taiwanese began to search for a living connection with the past. — (Robert Kelly, Chung Wah Chow, Taiwan‎, 2014)
  La traduction en français de l’exemple manque. (Ajouter)