built a barrier (dam) across a river or stream to hold back water, or blocked the flow of something.
From Middle Dutch 'dam,' which meant a barrier of earth or stone. The word likely comes from Germanic roots and may be related to 'dike.' It entered English around the 13th century when water management became important.
Beavers have been building dams for millions of years, but humans didn't really master dam construction until medieval times—and now some of our dams are so massive they create artificial lakes bigger than many countries!
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