International Commission on Irrigation & Drainage Commission Interationale des Irrigation et du Drainage

Multilingual Technical Dictionary (MTD)
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Term No.Term NameTerm Description
1626B horizonIs a mineral horizon in which rock structure is obliterated or is but faintly evident, characterized by one or more of the following features: a) an i.....
2787Baby siphon type water seal, or Maramsilli baby siphon type water sealA water seal provided by a baby siphon which by virtue of being at a lower level gets primed earlier and its issuing jet itself seals the downstream e.....
2788Baby siphon, or Maramsilli baby siphonA smaller siphon operating at a lower level than the main siphon in the Maramsilli baby siphon. Sometimes, the baby siphon is also referred to as `Mar.....
7024BacillariophytaDiatoms......
7095BacillusA rod-shaped bacterium. .....
7985Back of levee, Air side of levee, Land side of levee, Outflow side of levee, Inner side of levee, Polder side of levee, or Down stream side of leveeThe side of a levee away from the river, facing the protected area......
1511Back shoreThe part of the shore covered by water during exceptional storms only, especially when combined with exceptionally high water; the zone of the shore l.....
4413Back washing, or Back blowing A method of well development based on the principle of surging or agitating the formation at the well by water or air pressure to prevent bridging of .....
8411Back-endAny software performing either the final stage in a process, or a task not apparent to the user. A common usage is in a compiler. A compiler`s back-en.....
4851Back-washing or Back-flushingA method of cleaning a filter that consists in reversing the direction of the flow in such a way as to carry away the solid particles collected in the.....
7997Backfill The placement of fill material within a specified depression, hole or excavation pit below the surrounding adjacent ground level, as a means of improv.....
3223Backfill1 - Earth or other material placed behind linings or structures. 2 - Replacement of excavated material......
5405BackfillingThe process of refilling a trench or an excavation around a structure......
7106Background concentrationThe pollutant concentration that would remain if all emissions from all sources that are quantified for use in a modelling or calculation process were.....
7466Background incidence The level of incidence of a disease that is endemic to a region, when epidemics of the disease are not occurring......
7107Background levelA pollutant level that is representative of average conditions in a given area.  .....
7235Background radiationThe radiation normally present in the lower atmosphere; from cosmic rays and earth-sources. .....
5068Backhoe, Backshovel1 - Light pullback digging shovel mounted on power driven engine with wheels similar to those of farmland tractor, and fitted in the front with a load.....
6328BackscatteringThe scattering of radiant energy into the hemisphere of space bounded by a plane normal to the direction of the incident radiation and lying on the sa.....
6416BackslopeThe hillslope position that forms the steepest, and generally linear middle portion of the slope.  In profile, backslopes are bounded by a convex shou.....
1415Backwater1 - Water held or forced back as a consequence of some obstruction, such as a dam or regulator, or the swelling up of the river below. 2 - A water res.....
1416Backwater curveThe shape of the surface of water in a stream or open conduit along a longitudinal profile from a point where such a water surface is raised above its.....
1417Backwater effectThe rise in elevation of the surface profile of a stream when the flow is retarded above a dam or any other obstruction, or is backed up into a tribut.....
5406Backwater gateGate installed at the end of a tube, canal, or drain, which gets closed to prevent the downstream water from backing up into them (See also 5417)......
7087Bacteria Single-celled micro-organisms that lack chlorophyll; neither plants nor animals. .....
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The Multilingual Technical Dictionary (MTD) is an e-dictionary of all technical terms related to irrigation, drainage, flood management, environment, river training, and allied disciplines of the water sector. Any term/ definition can be printed/copied with the option to download/updates of terms from the ICID website. The MTD enriches the process of sharing and exchange of experiences and has proven to be highly useful for engineers, researchers, students, professionals, planners, designers, academics and all others related to the field of irrigation and drainage.  It is more helpful for professionals outside the water sector, in simplifying the technical jargon and to understand the sectoral nuances easily. 

As part of ICID's flagship activity, it was first published in English and French languages in 1967, the – 4th  edition of the MTD (English-French) was brought out on CD-ROM in the year 2002. Currently, we are following the 5th  edition released in 2009, which defines 9,370 technical terms in Chinese, Japanese and Russian, besides English and French. This online version of MTD is based on the 5th edition's DVD format. This version includes 9370 technical terms with matching English and French translation. The DVD version also includes terms collected in Chinese, Japanese and Russian languages with the active support received from respective National Committees. However, full integration with online versions has not taken place due to the difference in available translation editions/ versions. National Committees of Iran, China, Japan, Russia, Korea, and India are working on the translation/  updating part to match the present online version.