What does bayou mean?

Definitions for bayou
ˈbaɪ u, ˈbaɪ oʊbay·ou

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word bayou.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. bayounoun

    a swampy arm or slow-moving outlet of a lake (term used mainly in Mississippi and Louisiana)

Wiktionary

  1. bayounoun

    A slow-moving, often stagnant creek or river.

  2. bayounoun

    A swamp, a marshy (stagnant) body of water.

  3. Etymology: bayou, from bayuk.

ChatGPT

  1. bayou

    A bayou is a body of water typically found in flat or low-lying areas, especially in the southern region of the United States. It is often a slow-moving stream or a marshy lake or wetland, largely associated with the Mississippi River delta and coastal Louisiana. Bayous are commonly found in the Gulf Coast region and are often an extremely biodiverse environment.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Bayounoun

    an inlet from the Gulf of Mexico, from a lake, or from a large river, sometimes sluggish, sometimes without perceptible movement except from tide and wind

Wikidata

  1. Bayou

    A bayou is a French English term for a body of water typically found in flat, low-lying area, and can refer either to an extremely slow-moving stream or river, or to a marshy lake or wetland. The name "bayou" can also refer to creeks whose water level changes due to tides and which hold brackish water which is highly conducive to fish life and plankton. Bayous are commonly found in the Gulf Coast region of the southern United States, notably the Mississippi River region, with the state of Louisiana being famous for them. A bayou is frequently an anabranch or minor braid of a braided channel that is moving much more slowly than the mainstem, often becoming boggy and stagnant. Though vegetation varies by region, many bayous are home to crawfish, certain species of shrimp, other shellfish, catfish, frogs, toads, American alligators, American crocodiles, herons, turtles, and a myriad of other species. The word was first used by the English in Louisiana and is thought to originate from the Choctaw word "bayuk", which means "small stream". The first settlements of Acadians in southern Louisiana were near Bayou Teche and other bayous, which led to a close association of the bayou with Cajun culture.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Bayou

    bā′ōō, n. name given to the marshy offshoots of lakes and rivers, esp. in North America. [Perh. corrupted from Fr. boyau, gut.]

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. bayou

    A long and narrow place; a branch of a trench in fortification; a hose or leathern pipe; the outlet of a lake; a channel for water.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. BAYOU

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Bayou is ranked #146201 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Bayou surname appeared 113 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Bayou.

    67.2% or 76 total occurrences were Black.
    25.6% or 29 total occurrences were White.

Matched Categories

How to pronounce bayou?

How to say bayou in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of bayou in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of bayou in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of bayou in a Sentence

  1. Michael Goldberg:

    Although we have not seen the charges, there is no question that there was a large fire and an enormous effort to extinguish it which resulted in a discharge into Tucker Bayou.

  2. Rex Hudler:

    The Linda Ronstadt pitch: Blue Bayou (blew by you)

  3. Charita Carter:

    Tiana is ready for anything, she is taking The Princess and the Frog on an adventure in the bayou, so of course she is going to dress appropriately.

  4. Boyo Billiot:

    No one likes to leave an area where they have history, a lot of memories, we are people of the bayou. Water has played a central role in who we are.

  5. Charita Carter:

    Tiana invites us as her guests to go on an adventure with her in the bayou, we as the guests are active participants in this adventure. She [ Tiana ] acknowledges us and being the witty person she is she takes us on this amazing journey where we get to discover not only characters we know andlove from the film but this is an opportunity to be introduced to some new characters.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

bayou#10000#21624#100000

Translations for bayou

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"bayou." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/bayou>.

Discuss these bayou definitions with the community:

1 Comment
  • Barbara Wood
    Barbara Wood
    I don't see the point in choosing the word 'bayou' out of the billions of words one could actually use in conversation, and/or written correspondence, and in general reading. I think most of us would like to see words we've perhaps come across, but are not entirely sure of. For example, the word 'magnanimity' is one I'm familiar with, but I now feel much more confident using it. You sent this word a few days ago, thank you. Can we leave out the more arcane words, perhaps, as well as little-used names of obscure mountains and synonyms for swamp. It sometimes seems like the words sent to us have been randomly picked out of a box. I think more research could be given to selecting words of a more practical use. (You sent 'ersatz' at one point, and I was delighted since I come across this word occasionally and have been a little hazy on its meaning. Although 'ersatz' is not an especially high-usage word, it is a word we come across in newspaper collumns, etc.) You get what I mean. 
    LikeReply7 years ago

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