bayou
/ˈbaɪ.(j)uː/ noun, proper noun
Forms bayous buyou byo
- noun A slow-moving, often stagnant creek or river.
- noun A swamp; a marshy (stagnant) body of water.
- proper noun A surname.
Etymology
From Louisiana French bayou, from Choctaw bayuk (“a creek”). Doublet of bogue.
Webster’s 1913
- noun 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.]
Etymology [North Am. Indian bayuk, in F. spelling bayouc, bayouque.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “bayou”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details