Cay
/keɪ/noun
A small, low island or sandbank, especially in the Caribbean or tropical waters.
Did you know?English cay comes through Spanish cayo from a Caribbean Taíno word, showing how colonial mapmaking preserved an Indigenous name for a reef or low island.
Etymological Timeline
Taíno (pre-1492)
Taíno
cayo
“A small island or reef”
15th Century
Spanish
cayo
“A low island, sandbank, or reef”
16th–17th Century
English
cay
“A small, low island in the Caribbean”
Modern English
English
cay
“A small, low island or sandbank”