rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryquayDockside platform
noun

quay

KEE/kiː/

A platform beside the water where ships load and unload.

Workers unload crates from the ship onto the stone quay.

A cargo vessel moored beside a broad, solid masonry quay, with a dockside crane lifting a cargo pallet from the vessel onto the platform.
Etymology
quayOld North Frenchsand bank

The earlier meaning “sand bank” places the word at the water’s edge. In English, it names a landing place where vessels load and unload.

In context

Storytime Haven352:13
A dozen vessels were lying there, ready to start for Bordeaux or Rochelle, and the quay was thick with sailors
Sir Nigel ⚔️🌟 | A Tale of Chivalry and Adventure | Arthur Conan Doyle

More examples

  • The cargo ship ties up at the quay.
  • A truck waits on the quay to collect the shipment.
  • The port builds two new quays for larger ships.

Forms

quay · quays

Similar words

wharf
A close synonym that can also describe a projecting structure.
dock
Can mean the water berth rather than the platform itself.
pier
Projects into the water rather than running along the shore.