ˈbīˌ(y)ü; S usually -ˌ(y)ō, esp La also -_(y)ə or sometimes bȧyü noun
( -s )
Etymology: Louisiana French, from Choctaw bayuk
1. : a creek, secondary watercourse, or minor river that is tributary to another river or other body of water
2. : any of various bodies of water: as
a. : a large stream or creek or a small river that is characterized by a slow or imperceptible current ; especially : a sluggish stream that follows a tortuous course through alluvial lowlands, swamps, or plantations
b. : a clear brook or rivulet that rises in the hills especially of northern Arkansas or southern Missouri
c. : an effluent usually sluggish or stagnant branch of a main stream: as
(1) : a natural canal connecting two bodies of water
(2) : a by-channel of a river enclosing a low island
(3) : a branch of a river discharging through a delta
d. : an intermittent, partly closed, or disused watercourse that is sluggish or stagnant: as
(1) : a partly closed channel of a river delta
(2) or bayou lake : a lake or pool in an abandoned channel of a stream
(3) : a swampy or miry offshoot of a lake or river subject to overflow
(4) : an outlet for a coastal lake or swamp
(5) : a slough in a salt marsh
(6) : a shallow or stagnant inlet opening into a bay, lake, or river
e.
(1) : an estuarial creek or inlet on the Gulf coast
(2) : a small bay, open cove, or harbor
(3) : a lagoon, lake, or bay especially in a sea marsh or among salt-marsh islands
f.
(1) : a passage connecting two bodies of open water (as bays)
(2) : a navigable channel through sandbars or mud flats