reef

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A ridge of rock or coral near the surface of the sea.

   Divers came from all over the world to explore the coral reef.

2. 2
   noun

   A part of a sail that can be rolled up to reduce the area exposed to the wind.

   In the rising wind, the crew took in a reef to slow the boat.

3. 3
   verb

   To roll up part of a sail to make it smaller in strong wind.

   As the storm grew, the captain ordered the crew to reef the sails.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Reef in the sense of an underwater ridge probably came through Dutch from Old Norse rif, “rib, reef.” The Middle English sailing term followed a similar route but goes back to a word for a strip of fabric; reef knot, recorded from the late 18th century, named a knot used when reefing a sail.

From Middle English ref, hreof, from Old English hrēof (“rough, scabby, leprous", also "a leper”), from Proto-Germanic *hreubaz (“rough, scabby, scrubby”), from Proto-Indo-European *kreup- (“scab, crust”), related to Old English hrēofla (“leprosy, leper”). Cognate with Scots reif (“a skin disease leaving crusts on the skin, the scab”), Old High German riob (“leprous, scabby, mangy”), Icelandic hrjúfur (“scabby, rough”). Compare riffe, dandruff.

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External links

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