bayou

bay·ou

noun \ˈbī-(ˌ)ü, -(ˌ)ō\

Definition of BAYOU

1

: a creek, secondary watercourse, or minor river that is tributary to another body of water

2

: any of various usually marshy or sluggish bodies of water

Examples of BAYOU

1. <a small creek that is the bayou of a larger stream>

Origin of BAYOU

Louisiana French, from Choctaw bayuk

First Known Use: 1763

Related to BAYOU

Synonyms

affluent, tributary, branch, confluent, feeder, influent

Antonyms

distributary, effluent

Related Words

backwater; brook, brooklet, creek, rill, rivulet, run [chiefly Midland], streamlet; fountainhead, head, headstream, headwater, source

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

Rhymes with BAYOU

accrue, achoo, adieu, ado, Agnew, aircrew, airscrew, anew, askew, babu, Baku, bamboo, battu, battue, bedew, beshrew, bestrew, bijou, boo-boo, boubou, brand-new, breakthrough, burgoo, cachou, can-do, canoe, caoutchouc, Carew, Cebu, Chonju, construe, Corfu, corkscrew, coypu, CQ, cuckoo, curfew, debut, Depew, doo-doo, ecu, endue, ensue, eschew, floor-through, fondue, fordo, Gansu, Gentoo, Gifu, goo-goo, GQ, ground crew, gumshoe, guru, hairdo, hereto, Hindu, home brew, Honshu, horseshoe, how-to, HQ, Hutu, igloo, imbrue, imbue, IQ, jackscrew, K2, Kansu, karoo, Karoo, kazoo, Khufu, kung fu, Kwangju, leadscrew, lean-to, long view, make-do, Matthew, me-too, mildew, milieu, miscue, misdo, muumuu, non-U, old-shoe, one-two, on view, outdo, perdu, Peru, poilu, prau, preview, pursue, purview, ragout, redo, renew, Renfrew, review, revue, rough-hew, run-through, sandshoe, Sardou, see-through, set-to, setscrew, shampoo, sinew, skiddoo, snafu, snowshoe, soft-shoe, span-new, subdue, surtout, taboo, Taegu, tattoo, thank-you, thereto, thumbscrew, to-do, too-too, tree shrew, undo, undue, unglue, unscrew, untrue, vatu, vendue, venue, virtu, voodoo, wahoo, walk-through, wherethrough, whereto, who's who, worldview, yahoo, yoo-hoo

bayou

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Still or slow-moving section of marshy water, usually a creek, secondary watercourse, or minor river that is a tributary of another river or channel. It may occur in the form of an oxbow lake. Bayous are typical of Louisiana's Mississippi River delta.