wherry

American  

[hwer-ee, wer-ee] / ˈʰwɛr i, ˈwɛr i /

noun

plural

wherries

1. a light rowboat for one person; skiff.

2. any of various barges, fishing vessels, etc., used locally in England.

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verb (used with or without object)

wherried, wherrying

1. to use, or transport in, a wherry.

wherry British  

/ ˈwɛrɪ /

noun

1. any of certain kinds of half-decked commercial boats, such as barges, used in Britain

2. a light rowing boat used in inland waters and harbours

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Other Word Forms

• wherryman noun

Etymology

Origin of wherry

1400–50; late Middle English whery < ?

Example Sentences

The Canaries’ next play Brighton and Watford and improved performances and results will be needed if this Norfolk project isn’t to take on the appearance of a wherry holed beneath the waterline.

From The Guardian • Oct. 28, 2019

The wherry swung in the tide, a useless bit of lumber, for no one dreamed of using it, of unknotting its rusty chain.

From The Maid of Honour (Vol. 3 of 3) A Tale of the Dark Days of France by Wingfield, Lewis

I therefore hired for four-and-sixpence a wherry with two oars not larger than a Thames boat, and committed myself to our English deity, Neptune, who favourably heard my prayers.

From The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries To-Day and in Days of Old by Harper, Charles G. (Charles George)

Overcome by emotion, Viviana sank into his arms, and in another moment she was placed in a wherry, which was ordered to be rowed towards Westminster.

From Guy Fawkes or The Gunpowder Treason by Ainsworth, William Harrison

He held by the fleece till rescued by a gentleman in a wherry.

From The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 1 by Whymper, Frederick