the.com/wharf
where the land shakes hands with the sea and pockets a fee
means A built-up structure along a shore or riverbank where ships dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.
from From Old English 'hwearf,' meaning a bank, shore, or dam — and possibly something turned or heaped up, since the root is related to the verb 'hweorfan,' to turn. The sense of a turning or working place hardened over time into the solid platform of stone and timber where boats come to rest.
originOld English hwearf, meaning a turning or bank
versus pierruns parallel to shore, not jutting out
san franciscoFisherman's Wharf draws millions for sourdough and sea lions
rat dangerwharves spread plague across medieval ports worldwide
london legacyWapping's wharves once handled the world's tobacco and tea