bayou

== English == === Alternative forms === buyou (dated) byo (obsolete) === Etymology === From Louisiana French bayou, from Choctaw bayuk (“a creek”). Doublet of bogue. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈbaɪ.(j)uː/, /ˈbaɪ.oʊ/ === 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 adjoining areas, including southern Mississippi, Alabama, eastern Texas, Arkansas, and Florida. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Anagrams === Ayoub, Yoabu, boyau == French == === Alternative forms === bayouc (obsolete) === Etymology === Borrowed from Choctaw bayuk (“creek”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ba.ju/ (Louisiana) IPA(key): /ba.ju/ Rhymes: -ju Homophone: bayous === Noun === bayou m (plural bayous) bayou (a slow-moving, sometimes stagnant body of water left behind by the meandering of the Mississippi River in Louisiana or elsewhere) (Louisiana, also) stream (a small river) ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “bayou”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 Dictionary of Louisiana French: As Spoken in Cajun, Creole, and American Indian Communities (2009; →ISBN; →ISBN)