pontoon

1
[ pon-toon ]
See synonyms for pontoon on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Military. a boat or some other floating structure used as one of the supports for a temporary bridge over a river.

  2. a float for a derrick, landing stage, etc.

  1. Nautical. a float for raising a sunken or deeply laden vessel in the water; a camel or caisson.

  2. a seaplane float.

Origin of pontoon

1
1585–95; <French ponton<Latin pontōn- (stem of pontō) flat-bottomed boat, punt
  • Also pon·ton [pon-tn]. /ˈpɒn tn/.

Words Nearby pontoon

Other definitions for pontoon (2 of 2)

pontoon2
[ pon-toon ]

nounBritish.
  1. the card game twenty-one.

Origin of pontoon

2
1915–20; alteration of French vingt-et-un twenty-one

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How to use pontoon in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pontoon (1 of 2)

pontoon1

/ (pɒnˈtuːn) /


noun
    • a watertight float or vessel used where buoyancy is required in water, as in supporting a bridge, in salvage work, or where a temporary or mobile structure is required in military operations

    • (as modifier): a pontoon bridge

  1. nautical a float, often inflatable, for raising a vessel in the water

Origin of pontoon

1
C17: from French ponton, from Latin pontō punt, floating bridge, from pōns bridge

British Dictionary definitions for pontoon (2 of 2)

pontoon2

/ (pɒnˈtuːn) /


noun
  1. Also called: (esp US) twenty-one, vingt-et-un a gambling game in which players try to obtain card combinations worth 21 points

  2. (in this game) the combination of an ace with a ten or court card when dealt to a player as his first two cards

Origin of pontoon

2
C20: probably an alteration of French vingt-et-un, literally: twenty-one

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