The word wharf comes from the Old English hwearf, cognate to the Old Dutch word werf, which both evolved to mean “yard”, an outdoor place where work is done, like a shipyard (Dutch: scheepswerf) or a lumberyard (Dutch: houtwerf).
What does wharf stand for?
Incidentally, don’t believe anyone who says the word “wharf” is an acronym for “warehouse at river front“. Complete rubbish; the word has an eminently respectable etymology from Old English. 2021: A London Inheritance has an excellent post on Hay’s Wharf and nearby. See other memorials in this area. Hay’s Wharf.
What’s the difference between a pier and a wharf?
Pier: a berthing structure that runs perpendicular (or at an angle) to the shore and projects out into the water. Wharf: a berthing structure that runs parallel to the shore. When the wharf is connected to the shore along its full length it is called a marginal wharf.
What is a wharf in the ocean?
A Wharf is a man-made structure on a river or by the sea, which provides an area for ships to safely dock.
Can wharf be spelled Warf?
noun, plural wharves [wawrvz, hwawrvz], wharfs. a structure built on the shore of or projecting into a harbor, stream, etc., so that vessels may be moored alongside to load or unload or to lie at rest; quay; pier. Obsolete.
What does wharf mean in history?
wharf (plural wharves or wharfs) A man-made landing place for ships on a shore or river bank. quotations ▼ The bank of a river, or the shore of the sea.
What is the difference between wharf and quay?
A quay is a platform constructed using concrete, stone, or metal along a riverbank or coastline to allow ships to dock parallel to the shore. A wharf is also a structure constructed by the river or sea to provide a safe area for boats to dock.
Why is a quay called a quay?
The English spelling of this word was originally key, and that’s one way to pronounce it even today, an alternative to “qway.” Quay comes from the Old North French cai, “sand bank.”
Why do ships sail on the right?
Most sailors were right handed, so the steering oar was placed over or through the right side of the stern . Sailors began calling the right side the steering side, which soon became “starboard” by combining two Old English words: stéor (meaning “steer”) and bord (meaning “the side of a boat”).
What is quay?
ˈkē ˈkā ˈkwā : a structure built parallel to the bank of a waterway for use as a landing place.
What is the difference between a wharf and a jetty?
Jetty is a small wooden structure that is raised like a platform, and more suitable for small boats to dock and unload. It may be built upon wooden logs or made up of rubble and concrete. A wharf is not perpendicular but parallel to the coast.
Is a jetty the same as a wharf?
Jetty means a structure of wood or stone extended into the sea to influence the current or tide, or to protect a harbor or beach, whereas Wharf means a man-made landing place for ships on a shore or river bank.
What is a floating wharf called?
A floating dock, floating pier or floating jetty is a platform or ramp supported by pontoons. It is usually joined to the shore with a gangway. The pier is usually held in place by vertical poles referred to as pilings, which are embedded in the seafloor or by anchored cables.
What is a wharf rat?
: a person who loafs or sometimes lives around wharves sometimes with intent to steal from ships or warehouses.
What is it called when a boat leaves port?
Departure. The time at which your ship leaves a port. Disembark. Exiting the ship, usually at the end of your cruise.
Is quay a nautical word?
Noun. (nautical) A stone or concrete structure on navigable water used for loading and unloading vessels; a wharf.
What are the posts on a wharf called?
Pilings. Pilings are the necessary support system of a fixed pier. Pilings are usually made of wood or steel and are driven into the ground or rock below the water.
What is the origin of the word port?
Port comes from the Latin word portus, meaning “haven” or “harbor.” You can hear this sense of a port as a place of safe arrival in the proverb “any port in a storm.” On a ship, the port side is the left side. Port is also a verb, meaning “to carry.”
What is a landing wharf called?
noun, plural jet·ties. a pier or structure of stones, piles, or the like, projecting into the sea or other body of water to protect a harbor, deflect the current, etc. a wharf or landing pier.
Is a jetty a pier?
Jetties protect the shoreline of a body of water by acting as a barrier against erosion from currents, tides, and waves. Jetties can also be used to connect the land with deep water farther away from shore for the purposes of docking ships and unloading cargo. This type of jetty is called a pier.
Why is there no wharf 1 at Circular Quay?
An accident of history. There used to be a Wharf 1 along Circular Quay East but it was demolished during a renovation of the area, and it was easier not to renumber the other wharves. Just like there are no Platforms 1 and 2 at Wynyard train station, as these were used by the trams coming over the Harbour Bridge.