Bayou

A bayou is a marsh-like body of water tributary to a lake or a river. Bayous are usually located in low-lying areas, especially in the Mississippi River delta region of the southern United States.

The word was first used by the French in Louisiana and is thought to originate from the Choctaw word "bayuk" which means "small stream". The first settlements of Acadians in southern Louisiana were near Bayou Lafourche and Bayou des Ecores which led to a close association of the bayou with Cajun culture.

Houston, Texas is known as the "Bayou City".