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billabong

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bil⋅la⋅bong

[bil-uh-bawng, -bong]
–noun Australian.
1. a branch of a river flowing away from the main stream but leading to no other body of water; a blind or dead-end channel.
2. a creek bed holding water only in the rainy season; a dried-up watercourse.
3. a stagnant backwater or slough formed by receding floodwater.

Origin:
1830–40; < Wiradjuri bilabaŋ creek that runs only during the rainy season, equiv. to bila river + baŋ poss. suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bil·la·bong   (bĭl'ə-bông', -bŏng')   
n.   Australian
  1. A dead-end channel extending from the main stream of a river.

  2. A streambed filled with water only in the rainy season.

  3. A stagnant pool or backwater.


[Wiradhuri (Aboriginal language of southeast Australia) bilabaŋ, watercourse filled only after rain.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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