caisson
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
caisson /ˈkeɪs(ə)n, kəˈsuːn/
▶noun
- 1 a large watertight chamber in which underwater construction work may be carried out.
- 2 a vessel or watertight structure used as a gate across the entrance of a dry dock or basin.
– origin C17: from Fr., lit. ‘large chest’, from Ital. cassone, the spelling altered in Fr. by assoc. with caisse ‘case’.
'caisson' also found in these Oxford entries:
