quay

Meanings

Plural: quays

Noun

wharf usually built parallel to the shoreline
A stone or concrete structure on navigable water used for loading and unloading vessels; a wharf.

Verb

To land or tie up at a quay or similar structure, especially used in the phrase "quay up".

Adj

Alternative spelling of qway (“far”).

Adv

Alternative spelling of qway (“far”).

Origin / Etymology

The current spelling replaced the spelling key in the 1690s to emulate the spelling but (at least originally) not the pronunciation of the equivalent modern French quai. From Middle English kay, key, kaye, keye, from Old French kay, cail, from Gaulish *kagyum, cagiíun (“enclosure”), from Proto-Celtic *kagyom (“pen, enclosure”) (compare Welsh cae (“field”)), from Proto-Indo-European *kagʰyóm (“enclosure”). Doublet of hedge and hey (“choreographic figure”).

Scrabble Score: 16

quay is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
quay is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
quay is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 16

quay is a valid Words With Friends word