quay

noun \ ˈkē , ˈkā , ˈkwā \

Updated on: 31 Mar 2018

Definition of quay

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

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Examples of quay in a Sentence

docked the ferry at the quay to let the passengers off

Recent Examples of quay from the Web

When a sea breeze carries the scent of this huddled mass ashore, the Red Cross workers on the quay recoil.

— alex perry, Newsweek, "Migrants and the New Mediterranean Mafia," 10 June 2015
But a bicycle path, inaugurated in 2005, brought Roman cyclists and runners back to the quays.

— lee marshall, WSJ, "How to Spend an Indulgent Day in Rome for $2,000—or $400," 7 Mar. 2018
Rivers swollen by France's heaviest rains in 50 years have engulfed romantic quays in Paris, swallowed up gardens and roads, halted riverboat cruises - and raised concerns about climate change.

— associated press, Houston Chronicle, "France sees worst rains in 50 years as floods peak in Paris," 29 Jan. 2018
The USS Maryland was tied between the USS Oklahoma and a concrete quay.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, "VFW Post 5446, DAR Remember Pearl Harbor Anniversary," 21 Dec. 2017
Glossy magazine spreads of him mid-wheelie are tacked beside exhibits like descriptions of the giant hauling a one-ton anchor from a quay, and replicas of Angus’s voluminous wool stockings and supersized coffin.

— sarah maslin nir, New York Times, "On a Tiny Island in Scotland, Two Giants in the Family," 14 Sep. 2017
A small boat with half a dozen people passed by below the quays, with an anarchist flag fluttering in the breeze.

— jenny witt, USA TODAY, "Ahead of G-20, police and protesters clash," 6 July 2017
There, the Gormley Canal, which had a quay on Dryades Street (now O.C. Haley Boulevard) and a channel along St. Andrew Street, formed yet another source of employment in Lafayette, making bricks from swamp clay.

— richard campanella, NOLA.com, "How New Orleans took the Garden District from Jefferson Parish," 12 June 2017
Île Sainte-Marguerite is serviced by several companies operating from the quay.

— jennifer ladonne, CNN, "Cannes day trips: The island retreats of Îles de Lérins," 24 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'quay.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of quay

alteration of earlier key, from Middle English, from Middle French dialect (Picard) kay, probably of Celt origin; akin to Breton kae hedge, enclosure; akin to Old English hecg hedge

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1561

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quay Synonyms

Synonyms

dock, float, jetty, landing, levee, pier, wharf;

Related Words

berth, mooring, slip;

dockyard, marina, quayage, shipyard, wharfage;

Other Nautical Terms

avast, aweigh, flotsam, jib, keel, lee, port, starboard, stay

QUAY Defined for English Language Learners

quay

noun

Definition of quay for English Language Learners

: a structure built on the land next to a river, lake, or ocean that is used as a place for boats to stop for loading and unloading freight and passengers