Wharf

Wharf
Wharf Wharf, n.; pl. {Wharfs}or {Wharves}. [AS. hwerf, hwearf, a returning, a change, from hweorfan to turn, turn about, go about; akin to D. werf a wharf, G. werft, Sw. varf a shipbuilder's yard, Dan. verft wharf, dockyard, G. werben to enlist, to engage, woo, OHG. werban to turn about, go about, be active or occupied, Icel. hverfa to turn, Goth. hwa['i]rban, hwarb[=o]n, to walk. Cf. {Whirl}.] [1913 Webster] 1. A structure or platform of timber, masonry, iron, earth, or other material, built on the shore of a harbor, river, canal, or the like, and usually extending from the shore to deep water, so that vessels may lie close alongside to receive and discharge cargo, passengers, etc.; a quay; a pier. [1913 Webster]

Commerce pushes its wharves into the sea. --Bancroft. [1913 Webster]

Out upon the wharfs they came, Knight and burgher, lord and dame. --Tennyson. [1913 Webster]

Note: The plural of this word is generally written wharves in the United States, and wharfs in England; but many recent English writers use wharves. [1913 Webster]

2. [AS. hwearf.] The bank of a river, or the shore of the sea. [Obs.] ``The fat weed that roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]

{Wharf boat}, a kind of boat moored at the bank of a river, and used for a wharf, in places where the height of the water is so variable that a fixed wharf would be useless. [U. S.] --Bartlett.

{Wharf rat}. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The common brown rat. (b) A neglected boy who lives around the wharfs. [Slang] [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Wharf T&T — Limited 九倉電訊有限公司 Type Privately owned company Industry Telecommunication Founded 1995 Headquarters …   Wikipedia

  • Wharf — (engl. Kai oder Werft) steht für: Canary Wharf, ein Bürogebäudekomplex in London Chelsea Wharf, einen Hafen in Auckland Butlers Wharf, ein Gebäudekomplex in London Fisherman’s Wharf, ein Hafenviertel in San Francisco Imperial Wharf, eine Ortslage …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • wharf — [ warf ] n. m. • 1833; mot angl. « quai » ♦ Appontement qui s avance dans la mer, pour permettre aux navires d accoster. « Rufisque avance dans la mer quatre wharfs courts et trapus » (J. R. Bloch). ● wharf nom masculin (mot anglais) Appontement… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • wharf — wharf, dock, pier, quay, slip, berth, jetty, levee signify a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo or passengers. Wharf applies to a structure projecting from the shore that permits boats or ships to lie alongside for… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • wharf — wharf·age; wharf; wharf·ie; wharf·ing; wharf·in·ger; wharf·less; wharf·man; …   English syllables

  • Wharf — Wharf, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Wharfed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Wharfing}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To guard or secure by a firm wall of timber or stone constructed like a wharf; to furnish with a wharf or wharfs. [1913 Webster] 2. To place upon a wharf; to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wharf — [wɔːf ǁ wɔːrf] noun wharves PLURALFORM [wɔːvz ǁ wɔːrvz] [countable] TRANSPORT the place where a ship can stop and unload goods; = DOCK: • The whole wharf area has been extensively renovated. * * * UK US …   Financial and business terms

  • wharf — [hwôrf, wôrf] n. pl. wharves or wharfs [ME < OE hwerf, a dam or bank to keep out water, lit., a turning < base of hweorfan, to turn < IE base * kwerp , to turn > Gr karpos, wrist] 1. a structure of wood or stone, sometimes roofed over …   English World dictionary

  • wharf — late O.E. hwearf shore, bank where ships can tie up, earlier dam, embankment, from P.Gmc. *khwarfaz (Cf. M.L.G. werf mole, dam, wharf, Ger. Werft shipyard, dockyard ); related to O.E. hwearfian to turn, perhaps in a sense implying busy activity,… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Wharf — (spr. Uars), Nebenfluß der Onse in der englischen Grafschaft York …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

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