dock

¹

[ dok ]

noun

1. a landing pier.
2. the space or waterway between two piers or wharves, as for receiving a ship while in port.
3. such a waterway, enclosed or open, together with the surrounding piers, wharves, etc.
4. dry dock.
5. a platform for loading and unloading trucks, railway freight cars, etc.
6. an airplane hangar or repair shed.
7. Also called scene dock. a place in a theater near the stage or beneath the floor of the stage for the storage of scenery.

verb (used with object)

1. to bring (a ship or boat) into a dock; lay up in a dock.
2. to place in dry dock, as for repairs, cleaning, or painting.
3. to join (a space vehicle) with another or with a space station in outer space.

verb (used without object)

1. to come or go into a dock or dry dock.
2. (of two space vehicles) to join together in outer space.

dock

²

[ dok ]

noun

1. the solid or fleshy part of an animal's tail, as distinguished from the hair.
2. the part of a tail left after cutting or clipping.

verb (used with object)

1. to cut off the end of; cut short:

   to dock a tail.

2. to cut short the tail of:

   to dock a horse.

3. to deduct from the wages of, usually as a punishment:

   The boss docked him a day's pay.

4. to deduct from (wages):

   The boss docked his paycheck $20.

dock

³

[ dok ]

noun

1. the place in a courtroom where a prisoner is placed during trial.

dock

⁴

[ dok ]

noun

1. any of various weedy plants belonging to the genus Rumex, of the buckwheat family, as R. obtusifolius bitter dock or R. acetosa sour dock, having long taproots.
2. any of various other plants, mostly coarse weeds.

dock

¹

/ dɒk /

noun

1. an enclosed space in a court of law where the accused sits or stands during his trial

dock

²

/ dɒk /

noun

1. any of various temperate weedy plants of the polygonaceous genus Rumex, having greenish or reddish flowers and typically broad leaves
2. any of several similar or related plants

dock

³

/ dɒk /

noun

1. a wharf or pier
2. a space between two wharves or piers for the mooring of ships
3. an area of water that can accommodate a ship and can be closed off to allow regulation of the water level
4. See dry dock
   short for dry dock
5. See scene dock
   short for scene dock
6. a platform from which lorries, goods trains, etc, are loaded and unloaded

verb

1. to moor (a vessel) at a dock or (of a vessel) to be moored at a dock
2. to put (a vessel) into a dry dock for repairs or (of a vessel) to come into a dry dock
3. (of two spacecraft) to link together in space or link together (two spacecraft) in space

dock

⁴

/ dɒk /

noun

1. the bony part of the tail of an animal, esp a dog or sheep
2. the part of an animal's tail left after the major part of it has been cut off

verb

1. to remove (the tail or part of the tail) of (an animal) by cutting through the bone

   to dock a horse

   to dock a tail

2. to deduct (an amount) from (a person's wages, pension, etc)

   they docked a third of his wages

Word History and Origins

Origin of dock¹

First recorded in 1505–15; from Middle Dutch doc(ke)

Origin of dock²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English dok, Old English -docca, in fingirdoccana (genitive plural) “finger muscles”; cognate with Frisian dok, Low German docke “bundle,” Icelandic dokkur “stumpy tail,” Middle High German tocke “bundle, sheaf”

Origin of dock³

First recorded in 1580–90; perhaps from Dutch dok (dialectal sense) “cage, poultry pen, rabbit hutch”

Origin of dock⁴

First recorded before 1000; Middle English dokke, Old English docce; cognate with Middle Dutch docke, Middle High German tocke

Word History and Origins

Origin of dock¹

C16: from Flemish dok sty

Origin of dock²

Old English docce; related to Middle Dutch, Old Danish docke, Gaelic dogha

Origin of dock³

C14: from Middle Dutch docke; perhaps related to Latin ducere to lead

Origin of dock⁴

C14: dok , of uncertain origin

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in the dock, being tried in a court, especially a criminal court; on trial.

More idioms and phrases containing dock

see in the dock .

Example Sentences

San Diego–based Mesa Biotech, for instance, received RADx funding to manufacture a PCR test that replaces an entire clinical lab with a handheld dock and a single-use cartridge.

From Science News

With the Talis test, samples are placed in a cassette, popped into a specialized dock, and analyzed in just 30 minutes.

From Science News

Charge several devices, listen to music, connect to the internet when there’s no Wi-Fi, and protect your dock with security lock support.

From Popular-Science

Further, researchers use supercomputers to figure out by simulation the different shapes formed by the target binding sites and then virtually dock compounds to each shape.

From Singularity Hub 

So we went behind the building in the loading dock, all of us got really high.

From Freakonomics

The 26 were beaten by the bailiffs as they filed into a caged dock, sobbing, on Dec. 21.

From The Daily Beast

Once the ships that rescued them dock at port, they disembark.

From The Daily Beast

Lupher says the Carnival Magic tried to land in Cozumel, but that the Mexican authorities blocked them from the dock.

From The Daily Beast

As he was taken down from the dock to be driven to prison he was downcast, as anyone would be who was publicly sacrificed.

From The Daily Beast

And this capsule will be able to dock itself, without needing the ISS to grab ahold and guide it in.

From The Daily Beast

William Kidd with others executed at Execution dock, London, for piracy.

From Project Gutenberg

It was no new region to me, nor was I ignorant of the specified drinking den on the dock to which I had been directed.

From Project Gutenberg

It was a peculiar, narrow little dock, completely rock-bound, except for the passage leading into it.

From Project Gutenberg

It was a head such as one may see in the dock at certain criminal trials that are held with closed doors.

From Project Gutenberg

Then on board the Prince, now in the dock, and indeed it has one and no more rich cabins for carved work, but no gold in her.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• berth
• harbor
• jetty
• pier
• wharf