Talk:Quay

''This page was placed on Votes for Deletion in July 2004. Consensus was to keep; view discussion at /Delete.''

Quay vs wharf
See also the discussion page of the Wharf article, regarding the distinction (if any) between a quay and a wharf. 87.228.188.125 10:05, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Word Not Existing?
I looked this word up in the dictionary. It wasn't in there, and the copyright is very recent. Is the word "quay" now "extinct"? IF so, this page has no purpose. Hopefully, I am wrong, and I didn't see it. But "quay" is no longer exsiting in my dictionary (Hopefully)
 * Looked again, no "quay". Might want to consider removal.
 * The word quay is used in a modern context in Sydney at Circular Quay. I see no reason to remove the entry.  --60.225.0.88 11:51, 8 April 2006 (UTC)
 * It's in my Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, and I think it's in the OED.
 * What a strange person. In any case, hopefully he's purchased a newer dictionary. -LlywelynII (talk) 11:44, 21 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Even if the word doesn't exist anymore (though it does), that's not any reason to remove the article from existance. Maybe merging would have been more appropriate.   De at hN om ad    21:15, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Doing a a basic web search for "quay definition" shows it in the Cambridge, Merriam-Webster, Collins and Oxford english dictionarys. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.11.127.194 (talk) 14:50, 22 July 2022 (UTC)

Word is definitely used.
I recently took a trip to Ireland with friends. They kept pronouncing the word "Key". It is used all over Ireland. I came from Florida and had only heard the word pronounced "Kway". Interesting since there are so many "Keys" down there! I checked here to see the correct way of pronounciation and was glad the word was on Wikipedia.
 * But, then again, those are Cayes.

Quay, is pronounced "Key" here in the Port industry and it is very much in use. The Quay tray is a recessed tray in the deck that houses the electrical wire the powers the large gantry cranes. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.71.11.70 (talk) 12:52, 23 May 2018 (UTC)

To add to this, Quay is commonly used in commonwealth nations (the UK and its former colonies such as Canada). The word has many purported origins, but there's a few things we know. First, "key" in the Floridian context is an island while a quay is in reference to a wharf. An alternate spelling for "key" is "cay," but neither "key" nor "cay" mean the same thing as "quay," though all three are allegedly derived of a similar root. That's the extent of the information that I can provide that's fact-based. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.235.255.130 (talk) 14:09, 3 September 2019 (UTC)

Should this really be here?
...Or is it more appropriate for Wiktionary? - Tallasse 17:42, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

Jan de Quay
I removed the reference to Jan de Quay because there does not seem to be a connection. The name of this person is pronounced 'Kwaai' (which is a bastardisation of 'the angry one' in Dutch -- people had a strange sense of humor when Napoleon forced everyone to pick a last name). It has nothing to do with the English word 'quay' or the Dutch equivalent 'kade'. ChimpanseeWithTypewriter 21:51, 1 September 2005 (UTC)

Pronunciation?
Here in England (where the word is quite common; I was very surprised to see the "extinct?" comment above), I've only ever heard it pronounced as "key", never to rhyme with "way". I don't know about other uses, of course. I also note that quayside links to a specific place in Newcastle; other editors might want to be aware of that, as there are lots of other places where it might be used! Loganberry (Talk) 12:51, 30 May 2006 (UTC)
 * I second that. I've even heard it from school that it is pronounced "key" --antilivedT 07:22, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
 * There are actually three proper pronounciations of quay: "Key," "Kay," and "Kway." Quay is definitely a word, but this article either needs to be expanded or the wiktionary entry should suffice. Benastan 6:58PM, 8 February 2006 (EST)
 * It's always, always pronounced "key" in Britain. I don't know about anywhere else. Loganberry (Talk) 02:16, 10 March 2009 (UTC)
 * I first read this word in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, and as an American reader I immediately read the word pronounced as "kway." Imagine my surprise and embarrassment when my Australian boyfriend said the word as "key" one day when talking about Sydney, and I attempted to correct him!  I had never heard the word used "out loud" anywhere in the United States (nowhere in Wisconsin, anyway, nor in California) but the Australian was very firm with me that in his land, the word is never pronounced anything other than "key".  Since this is certainly how Tolkien heard the word, this is now how I have re-defined its pronunciation.  My jab at creating a regional systematization of this is mostly guesswork.  Would very much like to have this odd word explored more thoroughly on Wikipedia BECAUSE it such a linguistic/ phonetic oddball!  Takers??   KDS 4444  Talk    —Preceding undated comment added 10:50, 10 April 2009 (UTC).
 * Not especially. "Qway" is a perfectly legitimate pronunciation, but Americans tend to prefer "wharf." Without a historical section, this is just a dictionary entry. -LlywelynII (talk) 11:44, 21 July 2009 (UTC)
 * No, a wharf is built on piles where a quay is build on fill. Both terms are in use in the US, because they refer to different constructions of the structures.dunerat (talk) 19:35, 19 April 2018 (UTC)
 * This word is definitely in use and needed. Quay, pronounced "key" is wharf in the U.S.  However, the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, publishes international commercial terms (incoterms)used in over 140 countries.  The original terms are published in (British) English and translated into major languages.  Quay is used in the term Delivered Ex Quay (DEQ)meaning goods are delivered to the buyer on the wharf.  This term is used by American businesses, even if they use wharf or wharves for everything else.Sage736 (talk) 07:15, 3 October 2009 (UTC).

Quay is traditionally pronounced as 'key' in Australia, as in Circular Quay it is pronounced "Circular Key". "kway" is an americanisation added later.

Previous comment suggested that quay is pronounced as "kway", responses below add to the idea that comment is entirely incorrect: Well that is wrong. Literally as I write this the Sydney trains announcement is calling Circular "Key" as next stop. — Preceding unsigned comment added by  203.42.178.36 (talk) 20:59, 28 April 2016 (UTC)

Not sure where the contributer above comes from, suggesting "kway" as the correct prononciation in Australia. During my 74 years of life in Australia it has only ever been pronounced as "key". At Sydney Cove the harbour was originally known as "Semi-Circular Quay", this being the actual shape of the quay. The name was shortened for convenience.[10] Circular Quay was constructed in 1837-1844 by reconstructing the southern section of Sydney Cove with an artificial shoreline. Wharves were built on the southern shore. Reflecting Circular Quay's status as the central harbour for Sydney. This area is now occupied by Sydney's major Ferry Terminal Hub, a Light Rail turn around Hub and Circular Quay Railway Station. As mentioned before, I have never heard the term "kway" used, even from interstate!

I was born and have lived in Australia for most of my 65 years and reading this article is the first time I have ever seen it suggested that 'quay' is pronounced 'kway'.

Merge proposal
There is an outstanding merge proposal added anonymously a few months ago. This needs to be resolved. I second the merge proposal. Though one can argue that wharf and quay may at times be used in slightly varying ways, Wikipedia is not a dictionary. Ultimately whatever difference there is between the two words is less than the differences among different wharfs around the world. And I think it is safe to say that, given that there are already separate articles for pier, harbor, and port, all of which can be used as synonyms for quay in some contexts, it is safe to say that two articles for quay and wharf are unnecessary.

Any objections?

--Mcorazao (talk) 19:05, 1 February 2010 (UTC)


 * Weak support - Since the quay has no references, while wharf does, quay should be made into a subsection of the wharf artice...unless other sourcing is found to prove it is uniquely different from a wharf, at which point it should remain an independent article.  That said, I do not always like deleting articles based on differences in terminology, as less is not always more.  -- nsaum75 ¡שיחת! &lrm; 20:39, 1 February 2010 (UTC)


 * Comment - Thanks, but I'm not sure I understand the argument. By policy "deleting articles based on differences in terminology" is one of the best arguments for merging. If no evidence is offered that there are unique topics implied by each term then these fall into the "distinction without a difference" category. Why even create a separate section if no appreciable difference has been established (with the caveat that if there is something significant and interesting that can be said about how and when each term is used then perhaps that might merit a subsection; it doesn't appear to me that this is the case though)? --Mcorazao (talk) 17:24, 2 February 2010 (UTC)

OK, turning this into a redirect since there has been no objection. --Mcorazao (talk) 20:34, 8 February 2010 (UTC)