Category:Pontoon

Pon*toon", n. Etym: [f. ponton (cf. It. pontone), from l. ponto, - Onis, fr. pons, pontis, a bridge, perhaps originally, a way, path: Cf. Gr. path, pathi, panthan. Cf. Punt a boat.]

1. (mil.)

Defn: a wooden flat-bottomed boat, a metallic cylinder, or a frame Covered with canvas, india rubber, etc., forming a portable float, Used in building bridges quickly for the passage of troops.

2. (naut.)

Defn: a low, flat vessel, resembling a barge, furnished with cranes, Capstans, and other machinery, used in careening ships, raising Weights, drawing piles, etc., chiefly in the mediterranean; a Lighter. Pontoon bridge, a bridge formed with pontoons. -- pontoon train, the carriages of the pontoons, and the materials They carry for making a pontoon bridge.

Note: the french spelling ponton often appears in scientific works, But pontoon is more common form.