billabong

1 a stagnant pool of water in the bed of a stream that flows intermittently

2 a branch of a river running to a dead end

English

Etymology

From Wiradhuri bilabang

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɒŋ

Noun

1. A stagnant pool of water.
2. A streambed that is only filled with water during the rainy season.
3. A channel that dead-ends which extends from the main part of a river.
4. An oxbow lake.

Billabong is an Australian English word meaning a smallish lake, and specifically an oxbow lake, a stagnant pool of water attached to a waterway. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end. Despite some claims of a Scottish Gaelic origin, the word is most likely from the Wiradjuri term bilabaŋ.

Billabongs appear relatively often in Australian literature. One of the most well-known references is in the opening line of Banjo Paterson's famous poem "Waltzing Matilda".

References

External links

• How to Set up a Billabong Bugs Kit