What is the Australian English word that means a small lake, such as is formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving a dead end?
Billabong Billabong A billabong (, ) is an Australian term for an oxbow lake, an isolated pond left behind after a river changes course. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end. As a result of the arid Australian climate in which these "dead rivers" are found, billabongs fill with water seasonally; they are dry for a greater part of the year. The etymology of the word "billabong" is disputed. The word is most likely derived from the Wiradjuri term "bilabaŋ", which means "a watercourse that runs only
Australian English vocabulary until the present. For example: a "creek" in Australia (as in North America), is any "stream or small river", whereas in England it is a small watercourse flowing into the sea; "paddock" is the Australian word for "field", while in England it is a small enclosure for livestock. "Bush" (as in North America) or "scrub" means "wooded areas" or "country areas in general" in Australia, while in England they are commonly used only in proper names (such as Shepherd's Bush and Wormwood Scrubs). Australian English and several British English dialects (e.g., Cockney, Scouse, Geordie) use the word "mate" to mean