I. ˈ(h)wȯ(ə)r]f, -ȯ(ə)] noun
( plural wharves ]vz\ ; also wharfs )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English wherf, wharf, from Old English hwearf turn, exchange, crowd, bank, wharf; akin to Middle Dutch werf shipyard, Old High German hwarb turn, Old Norse hvarf circle, crowd, Old English hweorfan to turn, move around, Old High German hwerban, Old Norse hverfa, Gothic hwairban, Greek karpos wrist; basic meaning: turn
1. : a structure of timber, masonry, cement, earth, or other material built along or at an angle from the shore of navigable waters (as a harbor or river) and made with a sometimes partially covered platform so that vessels may lie close alongside to receive and discharge cargo and passengers ; specifically : a structure of open rather than filled construction extending parallel to the shoreline
2. obsolete : the bank of a river or the shore of the sea
Synonyms:
wharf , dock , pier , quay , slip , berth , jetty , and levee signify a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo or passengers. wharf , prob. the oldest of the terms applies to any structure projecting from the shore that permits boats or ships to lie alongside for loading or unloading
a ship maneuvering slowly up to the wharf
the townsfolk rush to the wharves to welcome with cheers and banners the precious cargo of food — Life
at the foot of this street … a rude wharf of logs was chained together and moored — American Guide Series: Vermont
a boy sitting on the edge of the wharf, his feet dangling in the water
dock is usually interchangeable with wharf but can be restricted to signify an enclosed basin which permits the entrance of a vessel for loading or unloading or which, with floodgates and a method of exhausting water, can be used for building or repairing ships
a summer lake cottage with a short dock for canoes and rowboats
a dock on Occoquan Creek — American Guide Series: Virginia
the New York docks
bring a ship into dock for repairs
pier is interchangeable with dock or wharf especially a large or long one shooting out quite a distance into a body of water
a sloping earthen pier for the launching of boats — G.S.Perry
a fishing dragger unloading its catch at a pier — Don Smith
pulled the canoe up on the pier to empty it
the New York harbor piers
quay usually refers to an artificial embankment lying along or projecting from a shore and mainly used for loading or unloading; the term normally applies to wharves or piers characteristic of small places
so she, also, got into the small boat; and together they went in to the quay, and got ashore — William Black
a quay is a docking facility at which ships lie parallel to the shoreline — New York Times
slip applies to a sloping ramp usually constructed or used where the shore is high and shore water shallow
on the slip a thick water hose was connected from a hydrant to the ship — Vernon Pizer
rolling barrels down a slip into the ship's hold
berth and less commonly slip (in a second sense) apply to the space between two piers or wharves which gives room for a ship when anchored or not in use, although slip is more common for such a space construed for ferryboat landings or boardings
about to sail from her berth at the foot of Fifth Street — Ships and the Sea
a deep-chested liner rears through the thin haze, easing her way to a Hudson river berth — American Guide Series: New York City
transatlantic liners in adjoining slips down at the docks
a series of steamship piers and ferry slips
jetty although commonly applied to a structure serving as a breakwater for a harbor applies also to a small pier of timbers, usually not very substantial
the harbor, from 30 to 60 feet deep, is protected by white marble jetties — American Guide Series: Florida
fishermen … take their accustomed places on the wharves and jetties for the summer sport of gawking — Anthony Anable
a jetty is usually built so that it lies parallel with the direction of the tidal stream, and at such jetties ships should always berth against the stream — Manual of Seamanship
levee applies to an embankment for confining or restricting floodwaters but in the South and West, where a levee is often used for landing, the term is often the equivalent of quay
build emergency levees to control a dangerously rising river
down by the river's borders the new levees proclaim the grandsons' plans for a resurrected river traffic — American Guide Series: Minnesota
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1. obsolete : to guard or secure by a firm wall of timber or stone constructed like a wharf
2. : to furnish with a wharf
3. : to place upon a wharf : bring to a wharf
intransitive verb
: dock