- a line or ridge of rock, coral, or sand lying at or near the surface of the water
- Mining a bed or vein of ore; lode
Origin of reef
probably via Dutch or Middle Low German rif from ON, literally , rib
A beautiful coral reef.
- The definition of a reef is part of a boat's sail that can be rolled and tied to cut down on wind resistance.
An example of a reef is the rolled up part of a sail during a storm at sea.
- Reef is defined as a ridge of coral, alga, sand or rock close to the surface of the water in the ocean.
An example of a reef is the Great Barrier Reef which was formed when the sea levels rose, flooding the continental shelf of Australia, allowing the coral that were growing on the edges of the shelf to grow and begin form the reef.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"reef." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/reef>.
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reef. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/reef
reef
Naut. a part of a sail which can be folded or rolled up and made fast to reduce the area exposed to the wind, as during a storm
Origin of reef
Middle English riff from or akin to Old Norse rif ( from Indo-European an unverified form reip-, a strip from base an unverified form rei-, to tear, cut from source rive): origin, originally used of cords for reefing- to reduce the size of (a sail) by taking in part of it
- to lower (a spar or mast) or reduce the projection of (a bowsprit)
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"reef." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/reef>.
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reef. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/reef
reef
noun
- A strip or ridge of rocks, sand, or coral that rises to or near the surface of a body of water.
- A vein of ore.
- Chiefly Western US A long craggy ridge or rocky escarpment.
Origin of reef
Obsolete Dutch rif possibly from Old Norse ridgeRelated Forms:
- reef′y
adjective
Nautical
noun
A portion of a sail gathered in and secured to lessen the area exposed to the wind.
transitive verb
reefed, reef·ing, reefs- To reduce the size of (a sail) by gathering in a part and securing it, as by lashing it to a yard.
- To shorten (a topmast or bowsprit) by taking part of it in.
Origin of reef
Partly from Middle English rif ( from Old Norse rif ) ( from rīfa to rive ) and partly from DutchLow German reef (Low German) ( from Dutch) back-formation from Dutch reven pl. of rif reef (of a sail) from or akin to Old Norse rifTHE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"reef." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/reef>.
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reef. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/reef
A strip or ridge of rocks, sand, or coral that rises to or near the surface of a body of water.
See more at coral reef
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"reef." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/reef>.
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reef. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/reef
Noun
(plural reefs)
Origin
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.
Noun
(plural reefs)
- A chain or range of rocks, sand, or coral lying at or near the surface of the water.
- (Australia, South Africa) A large vein of auriferous quartz; hence, any body of rock yielding valuable ore.
- (nautical) A portion of a sail rolled and tied down to lessen the area exposed in a high wind.
- A reef knot.
Verb
(third-person singular simple present reefs, present participle reefing, simple past and past participle reefed)
- (nautical) To take in part of a sail in order to adapt the size of the sail to the force of the wind.
- (Australia) To pull or yank strongly.
Origin
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.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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"reef." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/reef>.
APA Style
reef. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/reef
Sentence Examples
- A coral reef lies across the entrance.
- The channel between the reef and the coast is in places 70 m.
- - For Physical Geography: Barton, Australian Physiography (Brisbane, 1895); Wall, Physical Geography of Australia (Melbourne, 1883); Taylor, Geography of New South Wales (Sydney, 1898); Saville Kent, The Great Barrier Reef of Australia (London, 1893); A.
- Deep. There are a few clear openings in the outer rampart which the reef presents to the ocean.
- In large vessels it is usual to pass a ligature round the vessel and tie it with a reef-knot.
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