cay

[ key, kee ]

/ keɪ, ki /

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noun

a small low island; key.

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Origin of cay

1700–10; <Spanish cayo;see key²

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cay

cay , key, quay

Words nearby cay

Cawnpore, Caxias, Caxias do Sul, C-axis, Caxton, cay, Cayce, cayenne, cayenne pepper, Cayes, Cayey

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cay in a sentence

But did Copperfield employ a bit of trickery to purchase Musha Cay in the first place?
David Copperfield’s Magical—and Utterly Bizarre—Caribbean Island|Nina Strochlic|November 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Specialized storm shelters can be a costly, inefficient way to prepare for tornadoes, says David Cay Johnston.
More Tornado Shelters? Not Necessarily|David Cay Johnston|May 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
According to David Cay Johnston, who opposes the idea, $126 less—approximately $2,100 instead of $2,200 a month.
As GOP Sinks Plan B, Obama Should Tune Out His Own Party’s Doubters|Robert Shrum|December 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
David Cay Johnston lists a dozen possible solutions, from building seawalls to getting tough on ATT.
The Week’s Best Longreads: The Daily Beast Picks for November 24, 2012|David Sessions|November 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Regular daily rates for Parrot Cay in high season begin at $900 for a garden view room, up to $3,500 for a one bed villa.
Gal With a Suitcase|Jolie Hunt|February 20, 2011|DAILY BEAST
They had been, I could plainly observe, kept orderly and free of dust, against cay home-coming.
Tramping on Life|Harry Kemp
We made it hot, and so they marooned us: me on a dry Tortuga cay, and him in an oarless boat.
The Dealings of Captain Sharkey|A. Conan Doyle
Sometimes it was from a Coaster, which had found a waterless Bahama Cay littered with sun-dried bodies.
The Dealings of Captain Sharkey|A. Conan Doyle
Mebbe the women-folks will feel better fort; but you cay—nt do it.
A Singular Life|Elizabeth Stuart Phelps
Actually, it is believed, they were after something on North Cay.
Pieces of Eight|Richard le Gallienne

British Dictionary definitions for cay

cay

/ (keɪ, kiː) /

noun

a small low island or bank composed of sand and coral fragments, esp in the Caribbean areaAlso called: key

Word Origin for cay

C18: from Spanish cayo, probably from Old French quai quay

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012