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pontoon

 [pon-toon]   Origin

pon·toon

1   [pon-toon]
noun
1.
Military. a boat or some other floating structure used as one of the supports for a temporary bridge over a river.
2.
a float for a derrick, landing stage, etc.
3.
Nautical. a float for raising a sunken or deeply laden vessel in the water; a camel or caisson.
4.
a seaplane float.
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Also, pon·ton  [pon-tn] .

Origin:
1585–95; < French ponton < Latin pontōn- (stem of pontō) flat-bottomed boat, punt

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Pontoon is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

pon·toon

2   [pon-toon]
noun British.
the card game twenty-one.
Origin:
1915–20; alteration of French vingt-et-un twenty-one
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To pontoon
Collins
World English Dictionary
pontoon1 (pɒnˈtuːn)
 
—n
1.  a.  a watertight float or vessel used where buoyancy is required in water, as in supporting a bridge, in salvage work, or where a temporary or mobile structure is required in military operations
 b.  (as modifier): a pontoon bridge
2.  nautical a float, often inflatable, for raising a vessel in the water
 
[C17: from French ponton, from Latin pontō punt, floating bridge, from pōns bridge]

pontoon2 (pɒnˈtuːn)
 
—n
1.  twenty-one, Also called: vingt-et-un a gambling game in which players try to obtain card combinations worth 21 points
2.  (in this game) the combination of an ace with a ten or court card when dealt to a player as his first two cards
 
[C20: probably an alteration of French vingt-et-un, literally: twenty-one]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

pontoon
1676, from Fr. pontoon, from M.Fr. ponton, from L. pontonem (nom. ponto) "flat-bottomed boat," from pons "bridge." Pontoon bridge is first recorded 1778.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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