quay

A wharf or reinforced bank where ships are loaded or unloaded.

[Middle English keye, from Old North French cai, of Celtic origin.]

kē; k (w)ā n. a stone or metal platform lying alongside or projecting into water for loading and unloading ships.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

(DOD) A structure of solid construction along a shore or bank that provides berthing and generally provides cargo-handling facilities. A similar facility of open construction is called a wharf. See also wharf.

Tutor's tip: It wasn't until the sailors got to the gate of the "quay" (part of a boat dock) that they realized they hadn't the "key" (implement used lock or unlock a door).

For a type of natural island, see Cay. For other uses, see Quay (disambiguation).

The quay or jetty at Lundy Island, UK

A quay (pronounced /ˈkiː/ or US: /ˈkeɪ, ˈkweɪ/) is a wharf or bank where ships and other vessels are loaded. A quay may be constructed parallel or perpendicular to the bank of a waterway.

The word is commonly used in United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and in some of the former British colonies (e.g., Eden Quay in Dublin, Queen's Quay in Toronto, Circular Quay in Sydney, Boat Quay and Clarke Quay in Singapore).

Similar words are found in many European languages. In French it is spelled quai as in Quai d'Orsay, the home of the French foreign ministry headquarters.

Look up quay in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - kaj

Nederlands (Dutch)
kade

Français (French)
n. - quai

Deutsch (German)
n. - Kai

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αποβάθρα, προκυμαία

Italiano (Italian)
banchina, molo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - cais (m)

Русский (Russian)
причал, пристань

Español (Spanish)
n. - muelle

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - kaj

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
码头

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 碼頭

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 부두, 방파제, 선창

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 波止場, 埠頭

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) رصيف المرسى‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מזח, רציף‬

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