quay

noun

ˈkē How to pronounce quay (audio) ˈkā How to pronounce quay (audio) ˈkwā How to pronounce quay (audio)
Synonyms of quaynext
: a structure built parallel to the bank of a waterway for use as a landing place

Synonyms

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Examples of quay in a Sentence

docked the ferry at the quay to let the passengers off
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The in-water show will feature about 300 yachts docked along the Arsenale’s quays, with a total of 220 exhibitors. —Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 28 May 2025 The quays around this warehouse saw millions of emigrants board ships bound for destinations such as America and Canada. —Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025 Instead, the 54 rooms and four suites feature walls decorated with playful gold stencil motifs and views of either the Seine or the quay, and kids and adults alike will love the novelty of sleeping on a boat. —Celeste Moure, AFAR Media, 2 May 2025 While many of the street-side cafes lining the river are on the touristy side, the handful of spots actually on the quay are anything but. —Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 19 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for quay

Word History

Etymology

Middle English keye, kaye, borrowed from Anglo-French kay, caye, keye, corresponding to Middle French (Picardy) kay, going back to Gaulish *kagi̯o- (late Gaulish caio) "enclosure," going back to Celtic — more at haw entry 1

Note: The spelling quay, first appearing in the sixteenth century, follows modern French. As noted by the Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, the expected outcome of Middle English keye would be /keɪ/ in Modern English. — The form caio, glossed "breialo sive bigardio" (meaning perhaps "demarcated field or wood"), is found in Endlicher's Glossary, a collection of words dated in its earliest version to the eighth century that were taken by the glossator to be of Gaulish origin (and hence entitled "De nominibus Gallicis"). Compare also cai, glossed cancelli "latticed barrier" in Late Latin texts (see Thesaurus linguae Latinae s.v.). In Normandy and Picardy, from where kay spread to France generally, the original reference was perhaps to a barrier demarcating part of a seashore or river bank that was built up with stone or earth to make a loading area for boats. The corresponding word in Poitou was chai.

First Known Use

1561, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of quay was in 1561

Rhymes for quay

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Browse Nearby Words

quawk
quay
quayage
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Cite this Entry

“Quay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quay. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

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Kids Definition

quay

noun
ˈkē How to pronounce quay (audio) ˈk(w)ā How to pronounce quay (audio)
: a structure built along the bank of a waterway for use as a landing place

More from Merriam-Webster on quay

Nglish: Translation of quay for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about quay

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