noun / verb
wharf
WHORF/wɔːrf/
A shore structure where ships tie up to load or unload.
Workers unload crates from a cargo ship at the wharf.
Etymology
Old English hwearf meant an embankment and then a shore or bank where ships could tie up. The modern meaning centers on a built structure serving that waterside purpose.
In context
She saw shadowy forms, and heard rough voices on a wharf in the blackness of the river beneath her, followed by a woman's scream.
More examples
- The fishing boat ties up alongside the wooden wharf.
- A crane lifts heavy containers onto the wharf.
- The harbor has three wharves for loading cargo.
Forms
wharf · wharfs · wharves · wharfed · wharfing