Original: A levee, levÃ e, dike (or dyke), embankment, floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial slope or wall to regulate water levels. It is usually earthen and often parallel to the course of a river or the coast.
Simplified: A levee, levÃ e (from the feminine past participle of the French verb lever, "to raise"), floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial slope or wall, usually earthen and often parallels the course of a river.