cay

/kiː/ (bre, ipa) · [kˈe] /kiː/ (ame, ipa) · [kˈe] /ˈkē How to pronounce cay (audio) ˈkā How to pronounce cay (audio)/ (ame, mw)

cay — noun

1. A very small island in tropical seas, usually formed from coral, sand, or rock a

1.名詞B2
釋義

A very small island in tropical seas, usually formed from coral, sand, or rock and rising only a little above the water.

例句

Theo and Amira swam from the boat to a tiny cay for lunch.

tiny cay - adjective + cay pattern

A storm washed sand across the low cay and covered the turtle nests.

同義詞
  • islet

    a general word for a very small island, without the tropical reef association

  • key

    an alternative spelling, especially common in Caribbean and Florida place names

  • atoll

    a ring-shaped coral island or reef around a lagoon, usually larger and more specific in shape

反義詞
  • mainland

    the large main area of land, not a small offshore island

文法句型

a/an + cay

the + cay

on a cay

off the cay

用法筆記

Mostly used in geography and travel writing about the Caribbean, Florida, and other tropical coasts. In everyday conversation, many speakers would simply say 'small island', and 'key' is a common alternative spelling in place names.

常見錯誤

❌We spent the night on a cay island.
✅We spent the night on a cay.
💡'cay' already names a kind of island, so adding 'island' is usually unnecessary.
❌The hotel stands on the reef.
✅The hotel stands on the cay beside the reef.
💡a cay is the small island itself, while a reef is the coral or rock formation in the water.