lagoon

[luh-goon]

noun

1. an area of shallow water separated from the sea by low sandy dunes.

2. Also lagune any small, pondlike body of water, especially one connected with a larger body of water.

3. an artificial pool for storage and treatment of polluted or excessively hot sewage, industrial waste, etc.

lagoon

/ ləˈɡuːn /

noun

1. a body of water cut off from the open sea by coral reefs or sand bars

2. any small body of water, esp one adjoining a larger one

lagoon

1. A shallow body of salt water close to the sea but separated from it by a narrow strip of land, such as a barrier island, or by a coral reef.

2. A shallow pond or lake close to a larger lake or river but separated from it by a barrier such as a levee.

Other Word Forms

• lagoonal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lagoon¹

1605–15; earlier laguna (singular), lagune (plural) < Italian < Latin lacūna (singular), lacūnae (plural) “ditch, pool,” akin to lacus basin, lake ¹; lacuna

Word History and Origins

Origin of lagoon¹

C17: from Italian laguna, from Latin lacūna pool; see _lacuna

Example Sentences

A few years ago, those boats were filled with tourists – many from China – drawn to Palau's lagoons and limestone caves.

Read more on BBC

Fringed by sparkling lagoons, South Pacific nation the Cook Islands has opened its vast ocean territory for deep-sea mining exploration.

Read more on Barron's

It’s not just telling people to jump into a lagoon.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Boats can dock at wharfs, quays and piers protected by the reef's natural lagoon.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In Newport Beach, the city is considering approval of the Snug Harbor Surf Park Project, which would redevelop the center portion of the Newport Beach Golf Course with approximately five acres of surf lagoons.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bayou 
• pond 
• pool