Definition of quay
: a structure built parallel to the bank of a waterway for use as a landing place
Read the Latest from M-W
Examples of quay in a Sentence
docked the ferry at the quay to let the passengers off
Recent Examples of quay from the Web
-
A small boat with half a dozen people passed by below the quays, with an anarchist flag fluttering in the breeze.
-
A new residential development will be built around it featuring parks, quays and embankments alongside the Pregola river.
-
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.
-
Île Sainte-Marguerite is serviced by several companies operating from the quay.
-
And researchers in wet suits probing the harbor floor are mapping the old quays and the fabled royal quarter, including, just possibly, the palace of that most beguiling of all Alexandrians, Cleopatra.
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
QUAY Defined for English Language Learners
quay
playDefinition 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
QUAY Defined for Kids
quay
playDefinition of quay for Students
: a structure built along the bank of a waterway (as a river) for use as a landing for loading and unloading boats
Learn More about quay
-
See words that rhyme with quay Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for quay Spanish Central: Translation of quay Nglish: Translation of quay for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about quay
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up quay? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!