Pontchartrain

American  

[pon-cher-treyn] / ˈpɒn tʃərˌtreɪn /

noun

1. Lake, a shallow extension of the Gulf of Mexico in SE Louisiana, N of New Orleans. 41 miles (66 km) long; 25 miles (40 km) wide.

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Pontchartrain British  

/ ˈpɒntʃəˌtreɪn /

noun

1. a shallow lagoon in SE Louisiana, linked with the Gulf of Mexico by a narrow channel, the Rigolets: resort and fishing centre. Area: 1620 sq km (625 sq miles)

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Example Sentences

Then the levees, never well designed, were breached in multiple locations and 80% of the city, which sits in a bowl between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, found itself under water.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 27, 2025

Opening the spillway diverts Mississippi River water to Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne, after which it flows to the Mississippi Sound in the Gulf of Mexico.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 24, 2024

She says her home, in Pontchartrain Park, a once-segregated black neighbourhood now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is one she will "never" sell.

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2023

“He liked not answering to anyone,” said Schneider, who has taught in St. Tammany Parish, just across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans proper, since 2007.

From Slate • Mar. 26, 2023

She would have to cross Lake Pontchartrain and swing all the way back through Slidell and across the state.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers