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dock

Nautical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An enclosed area of water for mooring, repairing, or loading ships, often with gates or alongside a wharf.

Detailed Definition
The dock is the ship's point of interaction with the land, a constructed basin that brings the vessel to the very edge of commerce. In poetry, it symbolizes transition, the exchange between sea and shore, and the mingling of sailor and landsman. Docks are places of departure and arrival, of tearful goodbyes and joyous reunions. Poets evoke the dock's hard edges, its tarry smells, and its bustling crowds to contrast with the clean solitude of the open ocean. The dry dock, where ships are exposed for repair, becomes a metaphor for vulnerability and the laying bare of hidden faults.
Example
Example in poetry:
“One launched a ship, but she was wrecked at sea; he built a bridge, but floods have borne it down” (Jean Ingelow).; “Rome built a bridge to cross over the river … bridges of steel that remind us of home” (Reader’s poem).; The dock in poetry symbolizes transition, the exchange between sea and shore, and the mingling of sailor and landsman.; Poets evoke the dock’s hard edges and bustling crowds to contrast with the clean solitude of the open ocean.; The dry dock, where ships are exposed for repair, becomes a metaphor for vulnerability.; A dock is the point of departure and arrival, of tearful goodbyes and joyous reunions.
Additional Notes
The dock is the ship's point of physical and commercial interaction with the shore, an enclosed, often industrial space that bridges sea and land. In poetry, it symbolizes transition, the exchange of goods and people, and the mingling of the sailor's world with the landsman's. Docks are places of departure and arrival, charged with the emotions of farewell, anticipation, and reunion. The dry dock, where a ship is drawn out of the water for repair, is a particularly potent image of vulnerability and exposure, a metaphor for the process of self-examination or the laying bare of hidden faults. The dock's hard edges, tarry smells, and bustling crowds offer a sharp contrast to the clean, isolated solitude of the open sea.
Also Known As
Dry dock wet dock floating dock basin harbor basin harbor pier wharf
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