quay

noun

ˈkē  ˈkā  ˈkwā 

: a structure built parallel to the bank of a waterway for use as a landing place

Synonyms of quay

• wharf
• dock
• pier

Examples of quay in a Sentence

docked the ferry at the quay to let the passengers off

Recent Examples on the Web

Three Yemeni government sources told Reuters air defenses were engaging drones launched by the Houthis toward the commercial quay and storage in the port. — Reuters, NBC news, 9 Aug. 2026

Emergency services evacuated everyone from the vessel and the surrounding quay after the leak was detected and carried out air quality measurements. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 15 July 2026

As golden hour sets in, find a spot along the quay for a sundowner — a glass of white port with tonic over ice is a local favorite — and watch the light shift over the Dom Luís I Bridge. — Sarah Bisacca, Forbes.com, 3 June 2026

Ten 35-pound wreckfish — enormous silver deep-water dwellers that live down to 650 feet — are filleted and bagged on a large stainless-steel table on the quay. — NPR, 4 Apr. 2026

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

Rhymes for quay

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Kids Definition

quay

noun

ˈkē  ˈk(w)ā 

: a structure built along the bank of a waterway for use as a landing place