graving dock

noun

, Nautical.

1. an excavated shore dry dock for the repair and maintenance of ships.

graving dock

noun

1. another term for dry dock

Word History and Origins

Origin of graving dock¹

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

Lady Catherine Erskine, who chairs the Unicorn Preservation Society, said it was "vitally important" to know exactly where the ship's problems were ahead of its move to the nearby East Graving Dock.

From BBC

Whether it’s observing the mischievous birdlife squabbling over possession of the tern raft in the old graving dock, or partaking in a bracing open-water swim from the Docklands Sailing & Watersports Centre, or simply watching the sun set over the City of London with an array of dinghies in the foreground, there’s always something to amuse, refresh or inspire.

From The Guardian

The writer Gabriel Cohen, who went to the island to research his crime novel, “The Graving Dock,” back when it first opened to civilians in 2005, remembers the remnants of the Coast Guard era: the bowling alley, the Burger King, the schools, the movie theater — all hastily abandoned like Pompeii.

From New York Times

It begins at night, with the boat being towed in under spotlights to a “graving dock,” from which water is then pumped out.

From Seattle Times

Through that window he could watch his Western Star graving in the graving dock.

From Literature