what exactly differentiates a bayou from a pond or a lake?

Question

what exactly differentiates a bayou from a pond or a lake?

Answer 1

Where it is (geographical location), and the fact that a bayou is a swamp or swampy river, not a pond or a lake.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayou

Answer 2

A bayou is shallow with lots of vegetation in it. Ponds can be shallow too but that's because they're small whereas bayous are very large.