| 释义 | 
		bay·ou \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 |