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 key 2
You know that wharf on the bank of the river where all the boats park? It's not an aqua parking lot. It's called a quay. When you visit France and take a walk beside the wharves where boats dock and unload passengers, you can say you've been strolling along the quays of the Seine. The English spelling of this word was originally key, and that's one way to pronounce it even today, an alternative to "qway." Quay comes from the Old North French cai, "sand bank."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A riverside path runs from the Dock Park out to Kingholm Quay.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
A councillor has raised the prospect of the ongoing Custom House Quay and Carlton Place project - which aims to regenerate the local waterfront - allowing river travel to be possible.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
He doesn’t even know how to treat the cops who are his new guards, amusingly portrayed as a comedy-act trio who finish one another’s sentences by Ethan Dubin, Katie Kreisler and Dave Quay.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
The tribute was built by fans of the series to commemorate queer character Ianto Jones 17 years ago, near where the series was filmed in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff.
From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026
Paddy lives in one of the tall houses on Arthur’s Quay looking at the river.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
