bayou

[ bahy-oo, bahy-oh ]

noun

, Chiefly Lower Mississippi Valley and Gulf States.

, plural bay·ous.

1. a marshy arm, inlet, or outlet of a lake, river, etc., usually sluggish or stagnant.
2. any of various other often boggy and slow-moving or still bodies of water.

bayou

/ ˈbaɪjuː /

noun

1. (in the southern US) a sluggish marshy tributary of a lake or river

bayou

/ bī′o̅o̅ /

1. A sluggish, marshy stream connected with a river, lake, or gulf. Bayous are common in the southern United States.

bayou

1. Term used mainly in Louisiana and Mississippi to describe a swampy, slowly moving or stationary body of water that was once part of a lake, river, or gulf.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bayou¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1710–20; from Louisiana French bayou, bayouc, bayouque, likely from obsolete Choctaw bayuk “creek, river” (modern Choctaw bok ); compare Chickasaw bok

Word History and Origins

Origin of bayou¹

C18: from Louisiana French, from Choctaw bayuk

Example Sentences

Riders journey through the bayou in search of the perfect band to perform before plunging down the attraction’s signature 50-foot drop.

From Los Angeles Times

Drawing on West African spiritual traditions, “The Brothers Size” relates the mythic story of two bayou country Louisiana brothers in conflict that is as tender as it is fierce.

From Los Angeles Times

Tiana’s takes an even lighter touch to theme park narrative design, as the story push is simply going on a journey in search of bayou musicians.

From Los Angeles Times

He’s got a thick Cajun accent like he’s straight outta the bayou.

From Literature

The system of bayous and reservoirs was built to drain heavy rains, but the engineering initially designed nearly 100 years ago has struggled to keep up with the city’s growth and bigger storms.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• backwater