A levee is a long wall or bank, usually of earth or concrete, built along a river to stop the water spilling over in a flood.

A levee isLevee是 a long wall or bank一道長長的牆或堤，usually of earth or concrete通常是土造或混凝土做的，built along a river沿著河建造，to stop the water spilling over in a flood用來擋住洪水氾濫。

You hear the word most in American English, especially about the Mississippi and other big rivers; British English more often says embankment, or dyke.

You hear the word most in American English這個字最常出現在美式英文裡，especially about the Mississippi and other big rivers尤其是講密西西比河和其他大河的時候；British English more often says embankment, or dyke英式英文比較常說embankment或dyke。

A levee can break, and when it does the flood is sudden and very bad — news stories talk about a levee breach.

A levee can breakLevee可能會潰堤，and when it does the flood is sudden and very bad一旦潰堤，洪水就會又急又猛——news stories talk about a levee breach新聞會說a levee breach。

There is another, older sense (a formal afternoon gathering), from the same French idea of “rising”, but that is rare now and is not this meaning.

There is another, older sense還有另一個比較老的意思 (a formal afternoon gathering)（正式的下午聚會），from the same French idea of "rising"來自同一個法文「升起」的概念，but that is rare now and is not this meaning但現在很少用，也不是這裡講的意思。

The spelling is easy to mix up with levy, a tax or a call-up, which looks almost the same on the page.

The spelling is easy to mix up with levy這個拼法很容易跟levy搞混，a tax or a call-uplevy是稅或徵召，which looks almost the same on the page兩個字寫在紙上看起來幾乎一樣。