[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

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
see also:
ditches dike moat fosse 

Ditches >> D Words
Ditches, definition of term: Ditches
ditches_pag1.html