Pontoon

Pronunciation

• IPA: /pÉ’nˈtuːn/

From Old French ponton, from Latin ponto ("ferryboat"), from pons ("bridge").

Full definition of pontoon

Noun

1. (military) A flat-bottomed boat used as a support for a temporary bridge.
2. A floating structure supporting a bridge or dock.
3. A box used to raise a sunken vessel.
4. A float of a seaplane.

Synonyms

• (floating structure used as a bridge) pontoon bridge

Probably from vingt-un, an obsolete variant of vingt-et-un, from French, literally vingt-et-un ("twenty-one").

Noun

1. (card games) A card game in which the object is to obtain cards whose value adds up to, or nearly to, 21 but not exceed it.

Synonyms

• (card game) vingt-et-un