Thread: Sort this out for me please

I'm struggling to comprehend the difference between the following words. Could anyone clarify:

mooring;
berth;
quay;
wharf;
hithe;
pier;

which one should I use when? (they all can be found in the dictionary when I look for the Russian word причал)

Some of these words have additional meanings, but I have selected the following dictionary definitions which I think are closest together:

mooring - 1. place for securing boat or aircraft: a place where a boat, ship, or aircraft can be moored

Encarta(R) World English Dictionary [North American Edition] (2007) http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/mooring.html

berth - 2. nautical dock for ship: a place, usually alongside a quay or dock, where a boat ties up or anchors

Encarta(R) World English Dictionary [North American Edition] (2007) http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/berth.html

quay - waterside platform: a platform that runs along the edge of a port or harbor, where boats are loaded and unloaded

Encarta(R) World English Dictionary [North American Edition] (2007) http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/quay.html

wharf - landing place for ships: a structure built alongside or out into the water as a landing place for boats and ships, sometimes with a protective covering or enclosure

Encarta(R) World English Dictionary [North American Edition] (2007) http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/wharf.html

hithe - a small port or harbor, especially on a river - now used chiefly in place names

Webster's Third New International Dictionary 1074 (1993)

pier - 1. walkway jutting into sea: a platform built on stilts jutting out into a body of water, used as a boat dock, a place from which to fish, or as an entertainment center

Encarta(R) World English Dictionary [North American Edition] (2007) http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/pier.html

Forget them all. You only need one word (unless you are some kind of моряк) and it wasn't even listed. "Dock". You can say dock and everyone will know what you mean, wether it be where ships park or where people walk on the wooden thingy above the water.

You could also replace dock with pier, if you like in some cases but like I said, its all useless.

I grew up in smack dab in the middle of Seattle and Tacoma (two HUGE shipping ports on the west coast of America) and I've never even heard the words mooring, berth, or hithe.

I heard quay or whatever for the first time when I was 18 and in Australia.
Wharf is a dumb word that only rednick fisherman would use. Just stick with dock man... не усложняй жизнь!

Originally Posted by Dogboy182

Forget them all. You only need one word (unless you are some kind of моряк) and it wasn't even listed. "Dock". You can say dock and everyone will know what you mean, wether it be where ships park or where people walk on the wooden thingy above the water.

Hey, my new favorite insult (along with 'mud butler'): "What are you, some kind of моряк?" Obviously, this would only work on people who don't speak Russian.

You could also replace dock with pier, if you like in some cases but like I said, its all useless.

To me, a pier is something you walk on, but not something you tie boats to. Not exactly the same as a dock.

I grew up in smack dab in the middle of Seattle and Tacoma (two HUGE shipping ports on the west coast of America) and I've never even heard the words mooring, berth, or hithe.

I've never heard "hithe" either, but mooring and berth are common enough. A mooring is the thing you actually attach your vessel to, and a berth is the particular place where the vessel is located while docked.

I heard quay or whatever for the first time when I was 18 and in Australia.
Wharf is a dumb word that only rednick fisherman would use. Just stick with dock man... не усложняй жизнь!

You've heard of the Florida Keys -- key is just a variant spelling of quay. Wharf is not very common anymore, I think, unless you are in San Francisco.

Yes of course I've heard of the florida keys. And yes I know what quay means. I said I heard it in Australia didn't I? But even then you wouldn't be like "Hey lets go down to the quay!" you'd just say beach...

And моряк isn't an insult. Infact I got it from the movie Жара.

Эй ты солдатик!
~Я не солдатик, я моряк.

Originally Posted by Dogboy182

Yes of course I've heard of the florida keys. And yes I know what quay means. I said I heard it in Australia didn't I? But even then you wouldn't be like "Hey lets go down to the quay!" you'd just say beach...

And моряк isn't an insult. Infact I got it from the movie Жара.

Эй ты солдатик!
~Я не солдатик, я моряк.

You're awfully stroppy today.

I know моряк isn't an insult, but I thought it would be funny to call someone that. Somebody who didn't know Russian would probably think it meant something insulting.

So, I gather that wharf and hithe are sort of obsolete, a pier is that thing that protrudes into the sea and the mooring is the thing that you should tie your ship to?

P.S. the word моряк must sound ridiculously to an Englishman am I right?

Originally Posted by Ramil

P.S. the word моряк must sound ridiculously to an Englishman am I right?

Well, I'm an American :P But yeah its kinda cute.

stroppy

I don't even know what that means but thanks!

Originally Posted by Dogboy182

stroppy

I don't even know what that means but thanks!

adj. Chiefly British.
Easily offended or annoyed; ill-tempered or belligerent.

You seem in better spirits now, though.

Originally Posted by Matroskin Kot

You seem in better spirits now, though.

А-а-а, так там где-то рядом spirits...

The only place you'll hear wharf in the UK is in the place name Canary Wharf, which is part of London's financial district in the former docklands.

Originally Posted by scotcher

The only place you'll hear wharf in the UK is in the place name Canary Wharf, which is part of London's financial district in the former docklands.

What you don't have "Wharfies" In UK?

Originally Posted by Matroskin Kot

Originally Posted by Dogboy182

stroppy

I don't even know what that means but thanks!

adj. Chiefly British.
Easily offended or annoyed; ill-tempered or belligerent.

You seem in better spirits now, though.

In that case I should have replied with "Just today?"

Originally Posted by Zaya

Originally Posted by Matroskin Kot

You seem in better spirits now, though.

А-а-а, так там где-то рядом spirits...

Exactly!

Now we know the secret of Mr. Dogboy's moods. He must have just been down to the pub.

I haven't drank in two months!

like doggyboy said... please forget every word except dock and pier... i have never heard any of those other words in my life....!!! and i get around in english fine... so if i dont need them, you dont either!

thank you my Italian friend. Its nice to have some back from someone who as well does not wish to overload everyone else with superfluous information.

Originally Posted by Dogboy182

thank you my Italian friend. Its nice to have some back from someone who as well does not wish to overload everyone else with superfluous information.

Language learners are used to superfluous information. I prefer to get all the information I can and sort it out on my own. Judging from the question, the threadstarter prefers this, too. Know your audience.

Originally Posted by Dogboy182

superfluous

Думаю, Ramil сам решит, принимать ему во внимание мнение giovanni или нет. Действительно, здесь не для тебя пишут.

The only word in the Ramil's list that might be considered obsolete is "hithe". Of course "dock" was not in his list but is used in several of the definitions given for the other words. At the risk of providing more "superfluous information":

dock . . .
1. place for ships to moor: an area of water between two piers or next to a pier, where ships can be moored safely for loading and repair
2. group of piers for ships: a group of piers in a protected area of water used as a general landing area for ships
3. pier or wharf: a long narrow structure stretching out into a body of water, or a raised area of land alongside water where ships can load and unload

Encarta(R) World English Dictionary [North American Edition] (2007) http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/dock.html

Ferry evacuated at Seattle dock after suspicious package found . . . The package was discovered during this morning's commute at about 8 a.m. on the ferry after it had arrived at Colman Dock from Bainbridge Island

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/l ... ry22m.html

Seattle has three long-term mooring facilities:
Lakewood Moorage located on Lake Washington Boulevard and S. Genesee St.
Leschi Moorage at Lakeside Avenue S off E Alder St.
Seacrest Park & Marina (next to Don Armeni Boat Ramp)

http://www.seattle.gov/parks/boats/Mooring.htm

Lakewood Moorage http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?id=4040

Port of Seattle Moorage Tariff No. 5 . . .
APPLYING AT PIER 48, PIER 66, AND PIER 69:
(J) DOCKAGE
The charge assessed against vessels for berthing at Bell Harbor Marina , or for mooring to a vessel so berthed.
(K) WHARFAGE
A charge assessed all cargo passing or conveyed over, onto, or under Bell
Harbor Marina or between vessels. Wharfage is solely the charge for use of the pier and does not include charges for any other service.

http://www.portseattle.org/downloads/se ... Marina.pdf (pages 1-2)

Tall ships and other vessels in Seattle can now take berths at a newly dedicated public wharf built specifically for the preservation and display of historic watercraft...The Historic Ships Wharf is the first of a three-phase project to develop a maritime heritage center at South Lake Union Park, located on an urban freshwater lake near downtown Seattle.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_k ... i_n6889974

Aerial stock footage of Seattle's downtown and the waterfront area of Puget Sound flying over the boat and ferry terminal as camera moves down the wharf area.

http://www.aeronauticpictures.com/royal ... 102&pos=19

INN AT THE QUAY ~SEATTLE~ MENU

http://www.tias.com/1046/PictPage/1921067491.html

Quay Cruise Agencies
2225 Alaskan Way
Seattle, WA 98121

http://seattle.citysearch.com/profile/3 ... ncies.html

Nathaniel Seeds, Director, Terminal Planning for APL Ltd. in Seattle agrees. "Quay Commander enables us to more precisely estimate the move time for high-priority cargo," says Seeds. "When that move time isn't fast enough to meet scheduled rail connections, Quay Commander lets us instantly reassign cranes, or work queues with the click of a mouse. Quay Commander is a powerful real-time control tool."

http://www.navis.com/pr_quay.jsp

At our two facilities (Lake Union in Seattle and The Quay in Ft. Lauderdale)we have more experience with Ocean Alexander yachts than anyone else in the US.

http://www.yachtworld.com/oceanalexandermarine/

Seattle Pier 52 Terminal http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/info_de ... minal_id=7