BAYOU

bayou

(noun) a swampy arm or slow-moving outlet of a lake (term used mainly in Mississippi and Louisiana)

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

bayou (plural bayous)

A slow-moving, often stagnant creek or river.

A swamp, a marshy (stagnant) body of water.

Usage notes

• Used almost exclusively to refer to bodies of water in Louisiana and the adjoining areas, including southern Mississippi, Alabama, eastern Texas, Arkansas and Florida.

Anagrams

• Ayoub, Yoabu, boyau

Source: Wiktionary


Bay"ou, n.; pl. Bayous (.Etym: [North Am. Indian bayuk, in F. spelling bayouc, bayouque.]

Definition: An inlet from the Gulf of Mexico, from a lake, or from a large river, sometimes sluggish, sometimes without perceptible movement except from tide and wind. [Southern U. S.] A dark slender thread of a bayou moves loiteringly northeastward into a swamp of huge cypresses. G. W. Cable.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

29 May 2025

CRITICAL

(adjective) characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; “a critical reading”; “a critical dissertation”; “a critical analysis of Melville’s writings”


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