bayou
[ bahy-oo, bahy-oh ]
/ ˈbaɪ u, ˈbaɪ oʊ /
noun, plural bay·ous. Chiefly Lower Mississippi Valley and Gulf States.
a marshy arm, inlet, or outlet of a lake, river, etc., usually sluggish or stagnant.
any of various other often boggy and slow-moving or still bodies of water.
Origin of bayou
1710–20,
Americanism; < Louisiana French, said to be < Choctaw
bayuk river forming part of a delta
Words nearby bayou
bayo,
bayonet,
bayonet hair,
bayonet socket,
bayonne,
bayou,
bayreuth,
baysmelt,
baytown,
baywood,
bayyan
Example sentences from the Web for bayou
British Dictionary definitions for bayou
bayou
/ (ˈbaɪjuː) /
noun
(in the southern US) a sluggish marshy tributary of a lake or river
Word Origin for bayou
C18: from Louisiana French, from Choctaw
bayuk
Scientific definitions for bayou
bayou
[ bī′ōō ]
A sluggish, marshy stream connected with a river, lake, or gulf. Bayous are common in the southern United States.
Cultural definitions for bayou
bayou
[ (beye-ooh, beye-oh) ]
Term used mainly in Louisiana and Mississippi to describe a swampy, slowly moving or stationary body of water that was once part of a lake, river, or gulf.