wharf
n. countablen. a flat area built along the edge of a river or the sea where ships can stop. It is used for loading and unloading goods or for people to get on and off boats.
n. a structure built on the shore of a harbour or river for the purpose of mooring vessels. It provides a platform for the transfer of cargo and passengers.
The ship docked at the wharf to unload the heavy crates.
Fishermen gathered on the old wooden wharf early in the morning to prepare their nets for the day's work.
The historic district features a stone wharf that has survived centuries of tidal erosion, serving as a testament to the city's former status as a major maritime trading hub.
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *hwerbaną Proto-West Germanic *hwerban Old English hweorfan Middle English wharf English wharf 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”).
The plural form can be either 'wharves' or 'wharfs', though 'wharves' is more common in British and Australian English.