billabong

[ bil-uh-bawng, -bong ]

noun

, Australian.

1. a branch of a river flowing away from the main stream but leading to no other body of water; a blind or dead-end channel.
2. a creek bed holding water only in the rainy season; a dried-up watercourse.
3. a stagnant backwater or slough formed by receding floodwater.

billabong

/ ˈbɪləˌbɒŋ /

noun

1. a backwater channel that forms a lagoon or pool
2. a branch of a river running to a dead end

Word History and Origins

Origin of billabong¹

1830–40; < Wiradjuri bilabaŋ creek that runs only during the rainy season, equivalent to bila river + baŋ possessive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of billabong¹

C19: from a native Australian language, from billa river + bong dead

Example Sentences

Examples of sacred sites can be found in natural features such as hills, rocks, waterholes, trees, plains, lakes, and billabongs, according to the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority.

From Reuters

The men, named Dac and Daniel, had been fishing at a billabong in the Top End region when Daniel hooked an “absolute donkey” of a barramundi, Dac recounted to Australia’s ABC Radio.

From Fox News

Two months earlier, a 4.7-metre saltie latched on to the outstretched arm of Bill Scott, an experienced fisherman who had sought to steady himself after the creature had rocked his boat on a billabong.

From The Guardian

Recreation in the summer shrinks to barbecues, swimming in the billabong, and drinking stubbies, or bottles of beer, on Big Red under the stars.

From New York Times

In 2015, the pair then released the camera into the rivers and billabongs—abandoned river channels or stagnant water.

From National Geographic