Meanings
plural wharves · plural wharfs
- nauticalAn artificial landing place for ships on a riverbank or shore.
Commerce pushes its wharves into the sea.
1834–1874, George Bancroft, History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent, volume (please specify |volume=I to X), Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company [et al.], →OCLC1 more example
Out upon the wharfs they came, / Knight and burgher, lord and dame, / And round the prow they read her name, / The Lady of Shalott.
1842, Alfred Tennyson, “The Lady of Shalott”, in Poems. […], volume I, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, part IV, page 86 - obsoleteAny bank of a river or shore of a sea.
the fat weed that roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf
c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v]
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
nouna platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*hwerbaną
- Proto-West Germanic*hwerban
- Old Englishhweorfan
- Middle Englishwharf
- Englishwharf
From Middle English wharf, from Old English hwearf (“heap, embankment, wharf”); related to Old English hweorfan (“to turn”), Old Saxon hwerf (whence German Werft and Warft), Dutch werf, Old High German hwarb (“a turn”), hwerban (“to turn”), Old Norse hvarf (“circle”), and Ancient Greek καρπός (karpós, “wrist”).
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic رَصِيف
- رَصِيف (raṣīf)artificial landing place
Bulgarian при́стан, кей
- при́стан (prístan)artificial landing place
- кей (kej)artificial landing place
Catalan moll, embarcador
- mollartificial landing place
- embarcadorartificial landing place
Chinese Mandarin 碼頭 /码头, 港埠
- 碼頭 /码头 (mǎtóu)artificial landing place
- 港埠 (gǎngbù)artificial landing place
- 埠頭 /埠头 (bùtóu)artificial landing place
Czech přístaviště, molo
- přístavištěartificial landing place
- moloartificial landing place
- přístavní hrázartificial landing place
Danish kaj, brygge
- kajartificial landing place
- bryggeartificial landing place
Dutch kade, kaai
- kadeartificial landing place
- kaaiartificial landing place
- aanlegsteigerartificial landing place
Esperanto varfo
- varfoartificial landing place
Estonian kai
- kaiartificial landing place
Finnish laituri
- laituriartificial landing place
French quai, appontement
- quaiartificial landing place
- appontementartificial landing place
German Kai, Wharf
- Kaiartificial landing place
- Wharfartificial landing place
Greek αποβάθρα
- αποβάθρα (apováthra)artificial landing place
Hindi घाट, जेटी
- घाट (ghāṭ)artificial landing place
- जेटी (jeṭī)artificial landing place
Hungarian rakpart
- rakpartartificial landing place
Indonesian dermaga
- dermagaartificial landing place
Irish cé
- céartificial landing place
Italian attracco
- attraccoartificial landing place
Japanese 波止場, 埠頭
- 波止場 (hatoba)artificial landing place
- 埠頭 (futō)artificial landing place
- 桟橋 (sanbashi)artificial landing place
Korean 부두, 선창
- 부두 (budu)artificial landing place
- 선창 (seonchang)artificial landing place
Latin navalia
- navaliaartificial landing place
Malay dermaga
- dermagaartificial landing place
Māori wāpu
- wāpuartificial landing place
Norwegian Bokmål kai, brygge
- kaiartificial landing place
- bryggeartificial landing place
Polish przystań, keja
- przystańartificial landing place
- kejaartificial landing place
- nabrzeżeartificial landing place
Portuguese cais, embarcadoiro
- caisartificial landing place
- embarcadoiroartificial landing place
- ancoradouroartificial landing place
- fundeadouroartificial landing place
- embarcadouroartificial landing place
Romanian chei, doc
- cheiartificial landing place
- docartificial landing place
Russian при́стань, прича́л
- при́стань (prístanʹ)artificial landing place
- прича́л (pričál)artificial landing place
- док (dok)artificial landing place
Scottish Gaelic laimrig
- laimrigartificial landing place
Slovak prístavisko
- prístaviskoartificial landing place
Spanish embarcadero, muelle
- embarcaderoartificial landing place
- muelleartificial landing place
Swedish kaj
- kajartificial landing place
Thai ท่าน้ำ, ท่า
- ท่าน้ำ (tâa-náam)artificial landing place
- ท่า (tâa)artificial landing place
- ท่าเทียบเรือ (tâa-tîiap-rʉʉa)artificial landing place
Turkish iskele, rıhtım
- iskeleartificial landing place
- rıhtımartificial landing place
Ukrainian при́стань, прича́л
- при́стань (prýstanʹ)artificial landing place
- прича́л (pryčál)artificial landing place
- док (dok)artificial landing place
Urdu گھاٹ, جیٹی
- گھاٹ (ghāṭ)artificial landing place
- جیٹی (jeṭī)artificial landing place
Vietnamese bến tàu
- bến tàuartificial landing place
Welsh glanfa
- glanfaartificial landing place
Yiddish דאָק
- דאָק (dok)artificial landing place
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with wharf
All rhymes →Cite this entry
wharf. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wharf
“wharf.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wharf. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wharf,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wharf.
Source: wharf on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.