noun, plural ba·teaux /bæˈtoʊz; French baˈtoʊ/ Show Spelled [ba-tohz; French ba-toh] Show IPA . 1.Also, batteau. Nautical.a.Chiefly Canadian and Southern U.S. a small, flat-bottomed rowboat used on rivers.
b.a half-decked, sloop-rigged boat used for fishing on Chesapeake Bay; skipjack.
c.(in some regions) a scow.
2.a pontoon of a floating bridge.
Origin: 1705–15, Americanism; <
French; Old French batel, equivalent to
bat (<
Old English bāt boat) +
-el diminutive suffix <
Latin -ellus; see
-elle