Pontoon
/pɒnˈtuːn/noun
A flat-bottomed boat or floating structure used as a bridge or platform.
Did you know?Pontoon comes through French from Latin *pons*, meaning “bridge,” the same root behind the old idea of spanning danger with a single crossing.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pent-
“To tread or step; the ancestral root behind crossing and passage”
Latin
Latin
pons
“A bridge”
Late Latin
Latin
pontonem
“A bridge, especially a floating one or bridge-supporting vessel”
French
Old French
ponton
“A floating bridge or pontoon”
17th Century
English
pontoon
“A floating bridge, boat, or support used for military crossings”
Modern English
English
pontoon
“A flat-bottomed boat or floating platform used as a bridge or support”