When was the word Quay invented?

When was the word Quay invented?

quay (n.) “landing place, place where vessels are loaded and unloaded, a wharf,” 1690s, a spelling variant of Middle English key, keye, caye “wharf” (c. 1300; mid-13c.

What does the word Quay mean in English?

Definition of quay : a structure built parallel to the bank of a waterway for use as a landing place.

Why is Quay spelled like that?

Cay is most often applied to Caribbean islands, the preferred pronunciation is “key” Cay comes from the Spanish word, cayo, which means key. Its first use to refer to an island occurred in 1707. The word quay comes from the Middle English kai, with the spelling influenced by the French word, quai.

What does Quay mean in Britain?

British English: quay /kiː/ NOUN. A quay is a long platform beside the sea or a river where boats can be tied.

Is quay pronounced key?

“Quay” was originally pronounced KEE, and that’s still the preferred pronunciation (it was once spelled “key”). Some dictionaries give only that pronunciation, though in American English two variant pronunciations are recognized as standard: KAY and KWAY.

What name is Quay short for?

If you like the name Kay but want to make it really stand out. meaning. Wharf.

How many people have the name Quay?

Quay is the 122,273rd most widely held last name internationally. It is borne by approximately 1 in 1,948,021 people. This surname occurs predominantly in The Americas, where 51 percent of Quay are found; 50 percent are found in North America and 50 percent are found in Anglo-North America.

What is a quay line?

(quays plural )A quay is a long platform beside the sea or a river where boats can be tied up and loaded or unloaded. n-count. Jack and Stephen were waiting for them on the quay. at a stretch adv. in a line, continuously, in quick succession.

Is a quay a dock?

However, in British English, a dock is an enclosed area of water in a port used for unloading, loading, repair, or building ships. A quay is a platform constructed using concrete, stone, or metal along a riverbank or coastline to allow ships to dock parallel to the shore.

What is say quay not Kway?

Many Americans have a tendency to pronounce words the way they see them spelled. Just as many Americans insist on restoring to the word “palm” the L sound it lost centuries ago because that is how it is spelled, many Americans pronounce “quay” as “Kway” because that is the pronunciation the spelling would suggest.

What is the meaning of the word Quay?

a landing place, especially one of solid masonry, constructed along the edge of a body of water; wharf. OTHER WORDS FOR quay pier, dock, landing, levee. See synonyms for quay on Thesaurus.com

Where did the word “Cay” come from?

English got both cay and key from Spanish cayo. The Spanish word may come from Taino kaya or from French quai (which is pronounced “kay” and means quay ). Originally, “cay” and “key” were the same word, sometimes spelled one way but pronounced the other.

What is the origin of the word key?

key (n.1) “instrument for opening locks,” Middle English keie, from Old English cæg “metal piece that works a lock, key” literal and figurative (“solution, explanation, one who or that which opens the way or explains”), a word of unknown origin, abnormal evolution, and no sure cognates other than Old Frisian kei.

What is the origin of the word Kay?

1690–1700; spelling variant (after French quai) of earlier kay (also key, whence the modern pronunciation)