n.
Pronunciation: ' hwo ̇ rf, ' wo ̇ rf
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural wharves \ ' hwo ̇ rvz, ' wo ̇ rvz \ 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 passengers
2 obsolete : the bank of a river or the shore of the sea