caisson

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caisson

/ˈkeɪ.sən/ UK
/kəˈsuːn/ UK, obsolete
/ˈkeɪ.sɑn/ US
/ˈkeɪ.sən/ US

Rhymes with -eɪsən, (US) -eɪsɑn

Where it comes from

Borrowed from French caisson. Doublet of cassone and cajón.

noun caissons

A (permanent) enclosure from which water can be expelled, in order to give access to underwater areas for engineering works etc. During the construction of the viaduct, the sinking of the caissons in the river bed caused much difficulty to the engineer and contractors, as a bed of running sand was encountered; in consequence, the expenditure for these foundations proved almost prohibitive.
A structure with similar function that is temporary.
Similar: cofferdam, coffer
A coffer (sunken panel).
The gate across the entrance to a drydock.
A floating tank that can be submerged, attached to an underwater object and then pumped out to lift the object by buoyancy. Near-synonym: pontoon
Similar: camel, sea camel, pontoon
A two-wheeled, horse-drawn military vehicle used to carry ammunition (and a coffin at funerals). Near-synonym: limber
Similar: limber
A large box to hold ammunition.
A chest filled with explosive materials, used like a mine.

Translations

Every language

noun enclosure from which water can be expelled

Deutsch	Senkkasten, Caisson
Italiano	cassone, tura
Русский	кессо́н kessón

noun gate across the entrance to a dry dock

Русский	батопо́рт batopórt, плаву́чий затво́р plavúčij zatvór

noun floating tank that can be submerged

Русский	понто́н pontón

noun large box of ammunition

Русский	заря́дный я́щик zarjádnyj jáščik

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MLA

"caisson." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/caisson. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

caisson. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/caisson

Chicago

"caisson." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/caisson.

BibTeX

@misc{caisson_2026,
  title = {caisson},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/caisson},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}