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dock

 - 16 dictionary results

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)
8. to bring (a ship or boat) into a dock; lay up in a dock.
9. to place in dry dock, as for repairs, cleaning, or painting.
10. to join (a space vehicle) with another or with a space station in outer space.
–verb (used without object)
11. to come or go into a dock or dry dock.
12. (of two space vehicles) to join together in outer space.

Origin:
1505–15; < MD doc(ke)

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)
3. to cut off the end of; cut short: to dock a tail.
4. to cut short the tail of: to dock a horse.
5. to deduct from the wages of, usually as a punishment: The boss docked him a day's pay.
6. to deduct from (wages): The boss docked his paycheck $20.

Origin:
1300–50; ME dok, OE -docca, in fingirdoccana (gen. pl.) finger muscles; c. Fris dok, LG docke bundle, Icel dokkur stumpy tail, MHG tocke bundle, sheaf

dock

3[dok]
–noun
1. the place in a courtroom where a prisoner is placed during trial.
2. in the dock, being tried in a court, esp. a criminal court; on trial.

Origin:
1580–90; perh. < D dok (dial. sense) cage, poultry pen, rabbit hutch

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.

Origin:
bef. 1000; ME dokke, OE docce; c. MD docke, MHG tocke
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To dock
dock 1   (dŏk)   
n.  
  1. The area of water between two piers or alongside a pier that receives a ship for loading, unloading, or repairs.

  2. A pier; a wharf.

  3. A group of piers on a commercial waterfront that serve as a general landing area for ships or boats. Often used in the plural.

  4. A platform at which trucks or trains load or unload cargo.

v.   docked, dock·ing, docks

v.   tr.
  1. To maneuver (a vessel or vehicle) into or next to a dock.

  2. To couple (two or more spacecraft, for example) in space.

v.   intr.
To move or come into a dock.

[Dutch dok, from Middle Dutch doc, from dūken, to go under water, dive.]
dock 2   (dŏk)   
n.  
  1. The solid or fleshy part of an animal's tail.

  2. The tail of an animal after it has been bobbed or clipped.

tr.v.   docked, dock·ing, docks
  1. To clip short or cut off (an animal's tail, for example).

  2. To deprive of a benefit or a part of one's wages, especially as a punishment: The company docks its employees for unauthorized absences.

  3. To withhold or deduct a part from (one's salary or wages).


[Middle English dok.]
dock 3   (dŏk)   
n.  An enclosed place where the defendant stands or sits in a court of law.

[Obsolete Flemish docke, cage.]
dock 4   (dŏk)   
n.  See sorrel1.

[Middle English, from Old English docce.]
sor·rel 1   (sôr'əl, sŏr'-)   
n.  
  1. Any of several plants of the genus Rumex, having acid-flavored leaves sometimes used as salad greens, especially R. acetosella, a widely naturalized Eurasian species. Also called dock4.

  2. Any of various plants of the genus Oxalis, having usually compound leaves with three leaflets.


[Middle English sorel, from Old French surele, from sur, sour, of Germanic origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

dock  (n.1)
"ship's berth," 1486, from M.Du. or M.L.G. docke, perhaps ultimately (via L.L. *ductia "aqueduct") from L. ducere "to lead" (see duke); or possibly from a Scand. word for "low ground" (cf. Norw. dokk "hollow, low ground"). Original sense was "furrow a grounded vessel makes in a mud bank."

dock  (n.2)
"where accused stands in court," 1586, originally rogue's slang, from Flem. dok "pen or cage for animals," origin unknown.

dock  (v.)
"cut an animal's tail," c.1386, from dok (n.) "fleshy part of an animal's tail," related to O.E. -docca "muscle," from P.Gmc. *dokko "something round, bundle" (cf. O.N. dokka "bundle, girl," Dan. dukke "doll," Ger. Docke "small column, bundle, doll, smart girl"). Meaning "to reduce (someone's) pay for some infraction" is first recorded 1822.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: dock
Function: noun
Etymology: Dutch dialect docke dok pen, cage
: the place in a criminal court where a prisoner stands or sits during trial —compare BAR, BENCH, JURY BOX, SIDEBAR, STAND
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1dock
Pronunciation: 'däk
Function: noun
: any plant of the genus Rumex

Main Entry: 2dock
Function: intransitive verb
: to combine with a molecular receptor docked at the T cell receptor>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

dock

see in the dock.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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