(India, mostly, South India) A dam built in a stream for maintaining and regulating irrigation.
Kallanai (literally “stone dam”, also known as the Grand Anicut) is an ancient dam built by Karikala of Chola dynasty in 150 CE.
Please help [improve this article](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anicut&action=edit) by [adding citations to reliable sources](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners "Help:Referencin…
(India, mostly, South India) A dam built in a stream for maintaining and regulating irrigation.
"anicut" means a dam built in a stream for maintaining and regulating irrigation. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
"anicut" means a dam built in a stream for maintaining and regulating irrigation. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Add your own interpretation of "anicut".
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(India) The area served by an irrigation project such as a canal, dam or a tank.
(India) A masonry dam used for storing water.
(India, archaic) A sluice or escape in irrigation works.
An Indian term for a traditional masonry dam or embankment used to collect and store rainwater, particularly in the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh regions of South India. Panthams are a form of traditional water management infrastructure, pre-dating modern engineering, and form part of a larger network of tanks and irrigation systems that historically supported agriculture in semi-arid South India. The term is used in regional agricultural, historical, and water-management contexts.
2. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Anicut_Canal_System#cite_ref-2 "Jump up")**["Rehabilitation of Grand Anicut canal hangs in balance"](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/rehabilitation-of-gra…
"anicut" is informal English meaning a dam built in a stream for maintaining and regulating irrigation. It is part of Indian English. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "a dam built in a stream for maintaining and regulating irrigation" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "anicut" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
“Kallanai (literally “stone dam”, also known as the Grand Anicut) is an ancient dam built by Karikala of Chola dynasty in 150 CE.”
“Please help [improve this article](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anicut&action=edit) by [adding citations to reliable sources](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners "Help:Referencing for beginners").”
“2. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Anicut_Canal_System#cite_ref-2 "Jump up")**["Rehabilitation of Grand Anicut canal hangs in balance"](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/rehabilitation-of-grand-anicut-canal-hangs-in-balance/article5458989.ece). _The Hindu_.”
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