·noun An inlet from the Gulf of Mexico, from a lake, or from a large river, sometimes sluggish, sometimes without perceptible movement except from tide and wind.
(French, boyau, a gulf.) In Louisiana, the outlet of a lake; a channel for water. ...
Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.
·add. ·- Mississippi; — a nickname, from its numerous bayous. ...
Webster's Dictionary of the English Language