PONTOON

pontoon. Pontoon, n. a boat lined with tin to form a temporary bridge, a low flat vessel used in careening ships

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Pon‐toon″ (?), n. [[F. ponton (cf. It. pontone), from L. ponto, -onis, fr. pons, pontis, a bridge, perhaps originally, a way, path: cf. Gr. � path, Skr. path, pathi, panthan. Cf. Punt a boat.]] 1. 1. (Mil.) 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. 2. (Naut.) 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. ☞ The French spelling ponton often appears in scientific works, but pontoon is more common form.