- Main Entry:
- wharf

- Pronunciation:
-
\ˈhwȯrf, ˈwȯrf\
- Function:
- noun
- Inflected Form(s):
- plural wharves
\ˈhwȯrvz, ˈwȯrvz\ also wharfs
- Etymology:
- Middle English, from Old English hwearf embankment, wharf; akin to Old English hweorfan to turn, Old High German hwerban, Greek karpos wrist
- Date:
- before 12th century
1: a structure built along or at an angle from the shore of navigable waters so that ships may lie alongside to receive and discharge cargo and passengers2obsolete : the bank of a river or the shore of the sea