The Collaborative International Dictionary
Ponton \Pon*ton"\, n. [F.] See Pontoon.
Wiktionary
n. (alternative form of pontoon English).
Wikipedia
Ponton may refer to:
- Ponton (automobile), a genre of automobile styling, 1930s-1960s
- Great Ponton, a village in Lincolnshire, England
- Little Ponton, a village in Lincolnshire, England
- Ponton, Aruba, a town in Aruba
- Ponton, Manitoba
- Andrew Ponton, legendary 19th century judge and politician in Texas
- Lynn Ponton, American child and adolescent psychiatrist
- Mungo Ponton, 19th century Scottish inventor
- Shannan Ponton, Australian exercise instructor
- Yvan Ponton, Canadian actor, commentator and television host
Ponton or pontoon is a car design style popular between the 1930s and the 1960s—ultimately the precursor of modern automotive styling. The trend emerged as bodywork began to enclose the full width and uninterrupted length of a car, incorporating previously distinct running boards and fully articulated fenders . The fenders of an automobile with ponton styling may also be called Pontoon fenders, and the overall trend may also be known as envelope styling.
The term, which is now largely archaic, especially describes the markedly bulbous, slab-sided configuration of postwar European cars, including those of Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Auto Union, DKW, Borgward, Lancia, Fiat, Rover, Renault, and Volvo—as well as similar designs from North America and Japan (e.g., the Subaru 1500).
The term derives from the French and German word ponton, meaning 'pontoon'. The Langenscheidt German–English dictionary defines Pontonkarrosserie as "all-enveloping bodywork, straight-through side styling, slab-sided styling."
Usage examples of "ponton".
Andrew Ponton, the mayor of Gonzales, walked through the crowd, responding to questions with terse answers.
Walking about the town had not tired her, and she understood from the chambermaid that Great Ponton church, only three miles from Grantham, was generally held to be worth a visit.