Pontoons
/pɒnˈtuːnz/noun
Flat-bottomed, buoyant structures used to support bridges, platforms, or watercraft.
Did you know?The Latin root pons, “bridge,” appears in pontifex—literally “bridge-maker”—the title of Rome’s high priests, later inherited by the Pope as Pontifex Maximus.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pent-
“To go or pass; the reconstructed root associated with paths and passage.”
Classical Latin
Latin
pons, pontis
“Bridge; a structure allowing passage over water or a gap.”
Ancient Latin
Latin
pontifex
“Bridge-maker, later the title of a Roman religious official.”
16th Century
Italian
pontone
“Large boat or floating platform, formed as an augmentative of ponte, “bridge.””
17th Century
French
ponton
“Flat-bottomed boat or floating support used in military bridging.”
17th Century
English
pontoon
“A floating vessel or structure supporting a bridge.”
Modern English
English
pontoons
“Plural of pontoon: buoyant supports or floating platforms.”