docking

dock ¹  (dk)

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.

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[Dutch dok, from Middle Dutch doc, from dken, to go under water, dive.]

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dock ²  (dk)

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).

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[Middle English dok.]

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dock ³  (dk)

n.

An enclosed place where the defendant stands or sits in a court of law.

Idiom:

in the dock

On trial or under intense scrutiny.

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[Obsolete Flemish docke, cage.]

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dock ⁴  (dk)

n.

See sorrel¹.

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[Middle English, from Old English docce.]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

docking - the act of securing an arriving vessel with ropes tying up, dockage, moorage arrival - the act of arriving at a certain place; "they awaited her arrival"