Reef Definition
(Now chiefly dialectal) Dandruff.
Other Word Forms of Reef
Noun
Adjective
Origin of Reef
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From Middle English ref, hreof, from Old English hrÄ“of (“rough, scabby, leprous", also "a leper"), from Proto-Germanic *hreubaz (“rough, scabby, scrubby"), from Proto-Indo-European *kreup- (“scab, crust"), related to Old English hrÄ“ofla (“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.
From Wiktionary
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From earlier riff, from Middle English rif, from Old Norse rif (“rib, reef"), from Proto-Germanic *ribjÄ… (“rib, reef"), from Proto-Indo-European *rebh- (“arch, ceiling, cover"). Cognate with Dutch rif (“reef"), Low German riff, reff (“reef"), German Riff (“reef, ledge"), Old English ribb (“rib"). More at rib.
From Wiktionary
Middle English riff from Old Norse rif ridge, reef
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Obsolete Dutch rif possibly from Old Norse ridge
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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