quay

Meaning

Noun

A stone or concrete structure on navigable water used for loading and unloading vessels; a wharf.

Verb

To land or tie up at a quay or similar structure, especially used in the phrase "quay up".

Adj

Alternative spelling of qway (“far”)

Adv

Alternative spelling of qway (“far”)

Synonyms

wharf

pier

jetty

dock

platform

landing

landing place

embankment

landing-stage

quayside

landing stage

staithe

moorage

port

levee

seafront

shore

track

waterfront

wharfage

wing

🪽

landing for boats

kinetosome

WARF

basal body

bulkhead wall

basal corpuscle

bulkhead quay wall

water terminal

bank

🏦

quay shipside

base

base stock

beach

🏖️

coast

ferry

⛴️

generatrix

harbour

marina

matrix

mer

mole

mooring

petty

pow

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kiː/

Etymology

The current spelling replaced the spelling key in the 1690s to emulate the spelling but (at least originally) not the pronunciation of the equivalent modern French quai. From Middle English kay, key, kaye, keye, from Old French kay, cail, from Gaulish *kagyum, cagiíun (“enclosure”), from Proto-Celtic *kagyom (“pen, enclosure”) (compare Welsh cae (“field”)), from Proto-Indo-European *kagʰyóm (“enclosure”). Doublet of hedge.