quay
[kee, key, kwey]
- a landing place, especially one of solid masonry, constructed along the edge of a body of water; wharf.
Show More
Origin of quay
1690–1700; spelling variant (after French quai) of earlier kay (also key, whence the modern pronunciation) < Old French kay, cay; akin to Spanish cayo shoal. See key2
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comQuay
[kwey]
- Matthew Stanley,1833–1904, U.S. politician: senator 1887–99, 1901–4.
Show More
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for quay
Contemporary Examples
On my last day but one I crossed to the Giudecca and ran into him on the quay.
Historical Examples
He's pledged to find you on the quay, and he will—unless some one makes him drunk.
It Happened in EgyptC. N. Williamson
And then, as they followed the quay of the Gave, they all at once came upon the Grotto.
The Three Cities Trilogy, CompleteEmile Zola
Although the quay was not yet finished, the work seemed to be quite abandoned.
The Three Cities Trilogy, CompleteEmile Zola
He bought one at a shop near the quay, and was back to the steps in ten minutes.
Henry DunbarM. E. Braddon
He was so interested in the crowd on the quay that he did not hear his father speaking to him.
Changing WindsSt. John G. Ervine
quay
- a wharf, typically one built parallel to the shorelineCompare pier (def. 1)
Show More
Word Origin
C14 keye, from Old French kai, of Celtic origin; compare Cornish kē hedge, fence, Old Breton cai fence
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 quay
n.
1690s, variant of Middle English key, keye, caye "wharf" (c.1300; mid-13c. in place names), from Old North French cai (Old French chai, 12c., Modern French quai) "sand bank," from Gaulish caium (5c.), from Old Celtic *kagio- "to encompass, enclose" (cf. Welsh cae "fence, hedge," Cornish ke "hedge"), from PIE *kagh- "to catch, seize; wickerwork, fence" (see hedge (n.)). Spelling altered in English by influence of French quai.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper