[wharf] n, pl wharves also wharfs [ME, fr. OE hwearf embankment, wharf; akin to OE hweorfan to turn, OHG hwerban, Gk karpos wrist] (bef. 12c) 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. obs: the bank of a river or the shore of the sea