Reef
/riːf/noun
A ridge of rock, coral, or sand near or at the surface of the water; also, a strip taken in to reduce a sail.
Did you know?In the sailing sense, a reef is a strip of sail that gets folded or tied up to reduce area, and that nautical meaning is historically separate from the later coral-reef sense.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*reubjaną
“to tear, pluck, or strip”
Old English
OE
rēofan
“to tear apart, break, or strip”
Middle English
ME
reffen / reef
“to take in or shorten a sail by folding or tying part of it”
16th Century
English
reef
“a fold or strip of sail reduced in bad weather”
17th Century
English
reef
“a ridge of rock or coral near the water’s surface”
Modern English
English
reef
“a submerged or partly submerged ridge, especially of coral or rock”