Aboiteaux

/ˌæbwɑːˈtoʊz/ noun

Definition

An alternate spelling of aboideaux; plural form referring to multiple sluice gates used in water management in Louisiana and Maritime Canada.

Etymology

This is a variant spelling maintaining the French plural form -eaux (as in eau, water) rather than anglicizing to -s, reflecting the original French structure of the word.

Kelly Says

English has this odd habit of sometimes keeping French plurals for borrowed words (like 'bureaux' for bureaus), and 'aboiteaux' is one of these holdouts, even though most people now use 'aboideaux' instead.

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