A bayou is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area; it may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream or river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), a marshy lake or wetland or a creek whose current reverses daily due to tides, which contains brackish water highly conducive to fish life and plankton.

The word entered American English via Louisiana French in Louisiana and is thought to originate from the Choctaw word bayuk, which means "small stream"

Bayous are commonly found in the Gulf Coast region of the southern United States, especially in the Mississippi River Delta. A bayou is frequently an anabranch or minor braid of a braided channel that is moving much slower than the mainstem, often becoming boggy and stagnant. Though fauna varies by region, many bayous are home to crawfish, certain species of shrimp.

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