Pontus

To the ancient Greeks and Romans, Pontus was a god of the sea, especially the Black Sea. He preceded the Olympian gods.

English word: Several words derive from Pontus, starting with pontoon. a floating, bridgelike structure. We also have pontiff, a word for the Pope, related to being a "bridge" between humans and God. From that, we have pontificate, "to officiate as a pontiff, or to speak in the manner of or as with the authority of a pontiff. We also get punt, a narrow, flat-bottomed boat with square ends, usually propelled with a pole. Punt also means to propel by pushing with a pole, and to kick a football before it touches the ground when dropped from the hands, and the act of punting a football.