bayou

English

Bayou Corne in Assumption Parish, Louisiana in 2010

Alternative forms

buyou (dated)
byo (obsolete)

Etymology

From Cajun French bayou, from Choctaw bayuk (“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

slow-moving creek or swamp

Czech: mrtvé rameno, močálovité rameno
Finnish: lutakko
French: bayou (fr) m, marécages (fr) m pl
Italian: acquitrino (it) m, ramo paludoso m
Portuguese: brejo (pt) m
Spanish: pantano (es) m, pantanos (es) m pl
Swedish: bayou c

Anagrams

Ayoub, Yoabu, boyau

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Choctaw bayuk (“creek”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ba.ju/
Audio (CAN) (file)
Rhymes: -ju

Noun

bayou m (plural bayous)

a stagnant body of water left behind by the meandering of the Mississippi River in Louisiana or elsewhere; a bayou

Further reading

“bayou”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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