reef

Meanings

Plural: reefs

Noun

a submerged ridge of rock or coral near the surface of the water
a rocky region in the southern Transvaal in northeastern South Africa; contains rich gold deposits and coal and manganese
one of several strips across a sail that can be taken in or rolled up to lessen the area of the sail that is exposed to the wind
A chain or range of rocks, sand, or coral lying at or near the surface of the water.
A large vein of auriferous quartz; hence, any body of rock yielding valuable ore.
A portion of a sail rolled and tied down to lessen the area exposed in a high wind.
A reef knot.
The itch; any eruptive skin disorder.
Dandruff.

Verb

lower and bring partially inboard
- "reef the sailboat's mast"
roll up (a portion of a sail) in order to reduce its area
reduce (a sail) by taking in a reef
To take in part of a sail in order to adapt the size of the sail to the force of the wind.
To pull or yank strongly, especially in relation to horse riding.
To move the floats of a paddle wheel toward its center so that they will not dip so deeply.
To manipulate the lining of a person's pocket in order to steal the contents unnoticed.

Adj

Scabby; scurvy.

Origin / Etymology

From earlier riff, from Middle English rif, from Old Norse rif (“rib, reef”), from Proto-Germanic *ribją (“rib, reef”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rebʰ- (“arch, ceiling, cover”). Dutch rif (“reef”), Low German riff, reff (“reef”), German Riff (“reef, ledge”) are also borrowed from Old Norse. Doublet of rib.

Synonyms

Rand, Witwatersrand

Scrabble Score: 7

reef is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
reef is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
reef is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 7

reef is a valid Words With Friends word