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pontoon

1
[ pon-toon ]
/ pɒnˈtun /
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noun

Military. a boat or some other floating structure used as one of the supports for a temporary bridge over a river.
a float for a derrick, landing stage, etc.
Nautical. a float for raising a sunken or deeply laden vessel in the water; a camel or caisson.
a seaplane float.

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Also pon·ton [pon-tn]. /ˈpɒn tn/.

Origin of pontoon

1
1585–95; <French ponton<Latin pontōn- (stem of pontō) flat-bottomed boat, punt

Words nearby pontoon

pontlevis, Pontocaine, Pontoise, pontomedullary groove, pontonier, pontoon, pontoon bridge, Pontoppidan, Pontormo, Pontus, Pontus Euxinus

Definition for pontoon (2 of 2)

pontoon2
[ pon-toon ]
/ pɒnˈtun /

noun British.

the card game twenty-one.

Origin of pontoon

2
1915–20; alteration of French vingt-et-un twenty-one
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to pontoon

raft, craft, boat, barge

Example sentences from the Web for pontoon

British Dictionary definitions for pontoon (1 of 2)

pontoon1
/ (pɒnˈtuːn) /

noun

  1. 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
  2. (as modifier)a pontoon bridge
nautical a float, often inflatable, for raising a vessel in the water

Word Origin for pontoon

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

British Dictionary definitions for pontoon (2 of 2)

pontoon2
/ (pɒnˈtuːn) /

noun

Also called: (esp US) twenty-one, vingt-et-un a gambling game in which players try to obtain card combinations worth 21 points
(in this game) the combination of an ace with a ten or court card when dealt to a player as his first two cards

Word Origin for pontoon

C20: probably an alteration of French vingt-et-un, literally: twenty-one
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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