An embankment built along a river or coast to prevent flooding by containing water within its normal channel. Levees can be natural formations created by sediment deposition or artificial structures built by humans.
From French 'levée' meaning 'raised,' derived from 'lever' (to raise). The term entered American English through French colonists in Louisiana, where extensive levee systems were essential for settlement.
New Orleans sits below sea level, protected by over 350 miles of levees - but Hurricane Katrina showed how catastrophic levee failure can be when these earthen walls are breached! The ancient Chinese built levees along the Yellow River over 2,000 years ago, calling it 'China's Sorrow' when they inevitably failed.
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