Dock
/dɒk/noun
A structure where ships are moored or loaded, or the enclosed area of a harbor for that purpose.
Did you know?The harbor sense of dock is surprisingly late; English first used related forms for a kind of enclosure or box before the word became tied to ships and ports.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*dukkō
“A bundle, lump, or enclosed mass; a related base behind several Germanic forms”
Old English
OE
docce
“A kind of plant, especially dock or sorrel-like weeds”
Middle English
ME
dokke
“Dock plant; later also used in various regional senses”
16th Century
English
dock
“An enclosed space or basin for ships, especially one used for loading or repair”
Modern English
English
dock
“A structure or basin where ships are moored, loaded, or repaired”
Explore more surprising origins