From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcaissoncais‧son /ˈkeɪsən, kəˈsuːn $ ˈkeɪsɑːn, -sən/ noun [countable] 1 TBCa large box filled with air, that people go into to work under water, for example when building bridges2 PMWa large box for carrying ammunition
Examples from the Corpus
caisson• It is an artilleryman, wounded by the explosion of a caisson...• When a caisson was exploded, yells of exultation were heard along the whole rebel lines...• Each caisson weighed 240 tons with water in it, and could carry one barge or two narrow boats.• The other two squads had further to go in attacking similar installations around the northern or inner caisson.• Christopher Smalley and four NCOs would demolish the winding-house for this caisson.• Wounded men... were clinging to caissons, to which were attached frightened and wounded horses...Origin caisson (1600-1700) French caisse “box”, from Latin capsa; → CASE1 