low-water mark: Meaning and Definition of

low'-wa'ter mark"

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. the lowest point reached by a low tide.
  2. something indicating the bottom of a decline.
  3. the lowest or least admirable level: the low-water mark of political chicanery.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.