/bak"waw'teuhr, -wot'euhr/ , n.
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.
[ 1350-1400; ME bakwateres; see BACK 2 , WATER ]