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pontoon

 
Dictionary: pon·toon   (pŏn-tūn') pronunciation

n.
  1. A floating structure, such as a flatbottom boat, that is used to support a bridge.
  2. A floating structure serving as a dock.
  3. A float on a seaplane.

[French ponton, from Old French, from Latin pontō, pontōn-, floating bridge, from pōns, pont-, bridge.]


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n. 1. a flat-bottomed boat or hollow metal cylinder used with others to support a temporary bridge or floating landing stage.

2. a bridge or landing stage supported by pontoons.

3. a large flat-bottomed barge or lighter equipped with cranes and tackle for careening ships and salvage work.

4. either of two floats fitted to an aircraft to enable it to land on water.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

 
pontoon, one of a number of floats used chiefly to support a bridge, to raise a sunken ship, or to float a hydroplane or a floating dock. Pontoons have been built of wood, of hides stretched over wicker frames, of copper or tin sheet metal sheathed over wooden frames, of aluminum, and of steel. The original and widespread use was to support temporary military bridges. Cyrus the Great built (536 B.C.) the earliest pontoon bridge in history, using skin-covered pontoons. However, Homer mentions pontoon bridges as early as c.800 B.C. The U.S. army began experimenting with rubber pontoons in 1846 and in 1941 adopted collapsible floats of rubber fabric with steel-tread roadways. At the same time the navy developed box pontoons of light, welded steel for ship-to-shore bridges during landing operations. These box pontoons could be assembled into bridges, docks, causeways and, by adding a motor, into self-propelling barges. Permanent civilian pontoon bridges have been built where the water is deep and the water level fairly constant or controllable, often also where the crossing is narrow or where the bottom makes it difficult to sink piers. The modern permanent pontoon is composed of many compartments, so that if a leak occurs in one compartment, the pontoon will not sink. Permanent pontoons are fastened together and several anchors are dropped from each. Often a section of a bridge built on them can swing aside to let a ship pass. Several pontoon bridges have been built across the Mississippi River. Pontoons for raising sunken ships are watertight cylinders that are filled with water, sunk, and fastened to the submerged ship; when emptied by compressed air, they float the ship to the surface. A pontoon lifeboat consists of a raft supported by watertight cylinders.


Wikipedia: Pontoon
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Pontoon may refer to:


Translations: Pontoon
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Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - halvtolv, blackjack

2.
n. - ponton

Nederlands (Dutch)
ponton, drijver van watervliegtuig, platte boot

Français (French)
1.
n. - (GB) vingt-et-un (jeu)

2.
n. - ponton, (Aviat) flotteur

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Kartenspiel

2.
n. - Ponton, Prahm

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - πλωτό βάθρο γέφυρας, επίπεδη βάρκα (χωρίς καρίνα), πλωτό στήριγμα, πλωτήρας (υδροπλάνου κ.λπ.), (Βρετ.) είδος χαρτοπαίγνιου, είκοσι ένα
v. - περνώ (ποτάμι) με πλωτά βάθρα

Italiano (Italian)
pontile

Português (Portuguese)
n. - pontão (m), flutuador (m), ponte sustentada por pontões (f)
v. - atravessar/construir sobre pontões

Русский (Russian)
понтон

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - blackjack (juego de cartas)

2.
n. - pontón

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - ponton, flottör, kortspel
v. - lägga pontonbro

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
浮桥, 浮码头, 浮筒

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 浮橋, 浮碼頭, 浮筒

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - (카드 게임의 일종) 판툰

2.
n. - 평저선

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 平底船, 鉄舟, フロート

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الجسر العائم, جسر الأطواف (فعل) يعبر النهر بواسطه الطوافات‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮משחק-קלפים‬
n. - ‮מתקן נחיתה במטוס-ים, סירת-גשר, פונטון‬


 
 

 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
US Military Dictionary. The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pontoon" Read more
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