abbreviation for Tennessee Valley Authority, a Federal corporation organized in 1933 to provide cheap electric power, flood control, irrigation, etc., by developing the entire valley of the Tennessee River, especially by building dams and reservoirs. The establishment of the TVA aroused both local and national praise and opposition. A controversy over the exact functions and duties of the TVA was still ongoing at the time of this lecture. —Conquest of Chaos Approved Glossary (8.7.92)