ditches

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Ditch \Ditch\ (?; 224), n.; pl. Ditches. [OE. dich, orig. the same word as dik. See Dike.]

1.A trench made in the earth by digging, particularly a trench for draining wet land, for guarding or fencing inclosures, or for preventing an approach to a town or fortress. In the latter sense, it is called also a moat or a fosse. [1913 Webster]

2.Any long, narrow receptacle for water on the surface of the earth. [1913 Webster]