A structure built out into the water where ships are loaded, unloaded, or tied up. It can also mean an enclosed area of water where ships are repaired or stored.
From Middle Dutch 'docke' or Middle Low German 'docke', meaning 'watercourse' or 'ship's place'. The word entered English through seafaring and trade along the North Sea. Over time, its meaning narrowed to the specific structures and basins used for ships.
The same word 'dock' is also used as a verb meaning 'to cut off part of something', like a dog's tail or a worker's pay. These senses seem different, but both share the idea of 'cutting off' or 'setting apart'—a dock cuts off part of the water as a special space, and docking pay cuts off part of your money. English often reuses one core image in very different contexts.
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