wharf
pronunciation
How to pronounce wharf in British English:
UK [wɔːf]
How to pronounce wharf in American English:
US [wɔːrf]
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- Noun:
- a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
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- Verb:
- provide with a wharf
- store on a wharf
- discharge at a wharf
- come into or dock at a wharf
- moor at a wharf
Word Origin
- wharf
- wharf: [OE] Wharf has relatives in German werft ‘wharf, shipyard’ and Dutch werf ‘shipyard’. All three appear to go back to a prehistoric Germanic base *(kh)werb-, *(kh)warb- ‘turn’, which also produced German werfen ‘throw’ and English warp.=> version, warp
- wharf (n.)
- late Old English hwearf "shore, bank where ships can tie up," earlier "dam, embankment," from Proto-Germanic *hwarfaz (cognates: Middle Low German werf "mole, dam, wharf," German Werft "shipyard, dockyard"); related to Old English hwearfian "to turn," perhaps in a sense implying "busy activity," from PIE root *kwerp- "to turn, revolve" (cognates: Old Norse hverfa "to turn round," German werben "to enlist, solicit, court, woo," Gothic hvairban "to wander," Greek kartos "wrist," Sanskrit surpam "winnowing fan"). Wharf rat is from 1812 as "type of rat common on ships and docks;" extended sense "person who hangs around docks" is recorded from 1836.
Example
- 1. Beyond canary wharf are the rather spectacular royal docks .
- 2. Later that day a bomb exploded at canary wharf in london .
- 3. As eve tucker walked along the wharf a bird caught her eye .
- 4. An aerial view shows canary wharf in london march 27 , 2012 .
- 5. Canary wharf is a pure banking play , and you could seek a more diversified market .