dock

[dok]

noun

the place in a courtroom where a prisoner is placed during trial.

Idioms

in the dock, being tried in a court, especially a criminal court; on trial.

Origin of dock

1580–90; perhaps < Dutch dok (dial. sense) cage, poultry pen, rabbit hutch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for in the dock

dock

noun

a wharf or pier

a space between two wharves or piers for the mooring of ships

an area of water that can accommodate a ship and can be closed off to allow regulation of the water level

short for dry dock

short for scene dock

mainly US and Canadian a platform from which lorries, goods trains, etc, are loaded and unloaded

verb

to moor (a vessel) at a dock or (of a vessel) to be moored at a dock

to put (a vessel) into a dry dock for repairs or (of a vessel) to come into a dry dock

(of two spacecraft) to link together in space or link together (two spacecraft) in space

Word Origin for dock

C14: from Middle Dutch docke; perhaps related to Latin ducere to lead

dock

noun

the bony part of the tail of an animal, esp a dog or sheep

the part of an animal's tail left after the major part of it has been cut off

verb (tr)

to remove (the tail or part of the tail) of (an animal) by cutting through the boneto dock a tail; to dock a horse

to deduct (an amount) from (a person's wages, pension, etc)they docked a third of his wages

Word Origin for dock

C14: dok, of uncertain origin

dock

noun

an enclosed space in a court of law where the accused sits or stands during his trial

Word Origin for dock

C16: from Flemish dok sty

dock

⁴

noun

any of various temperate weedy plants of the polygonaceous genus Rumex, having greenish or reddish flowers and typically broad leaves

any of several similar or related plants

Word Origin for dock

Old English docce; related to Middle Dutch, Old Danish docke, Gaelic dogha

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

Word Origin and History for in the dock

dock

n.1

"ship's berth," late 15c., from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German docke, perhaps ultimately (via Late Latin *ductia "aqueduct") from Latin ducere "to lead" (see duke (n.)); or possibly from a Scandinavian word for "low ground" (cf. Norwegian dokk "hollow, low ground"). Original sense perhaps "furrow a grounded vessel makes in a mud bank." As a verb from 1510s. Related: Docked; docking.

dock

n.2

"where accused stands in court," 1580s, originally rogue's slang, from Flemish dok "pen or cage for animals," origin unknown.

dock

"cut an animal's tail," late 14c., from dok (n.) "fleshy part of an animal's tail" (mid-14c.), related to Old English -docca "muscle," from Proto-Germanic *dokko "something round, bundle" (cf. Old Norse dokka "bundle, girl," Danish dukke "doll," German Docke "small column, bundle, doll, smart girl"). Meaning "to reduce (someone's) pay for some infraction" is first recorded 1822. Related: Docked; docking.

dock

n.3

name for various tall, coarse weeds, Old English docce, from Proto-Germanic *dokkon (cf. Middle Dutch docke-, German Docken-, Old Danish dokka), akin to Middle High German tocke "bundle, tuft," and ultimately to the noun source of dock (v.).

Idioms and Phrases with in the dock

in the dock

On trial, especially in a criminal case. For example, The accused stood in the dock through the entire proceeding. This expression employs dock in the sense of “an enclosed place for the defendant in a court of law,” a usage dating from the late 1500s, and is used even in American courts where no such enclosure exists.

dock

see in the dock.