bayou
English
![](Images/wiktionary/Bayou_Corne.jpg.webp)
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
- bayou physa
Translations
slow-moving creek or swamp
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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.