noun. A strip or ridge of rocks, sand, or coral that rises to or near the surface of a body of water.

noun. A vein of ore.

noun. A portion of a sail rolled and tied down to lessen the area exposed to the wind.

transitive verb. To reduce the size of (a sail) by tucking in a part and tying it to or rolling it around a yard.

transitive verb. To shorten (a topmast or bowsprit) by taking part of it in.

noun. Nautical, a part of a sail rolled or folded up, in order to diminish the extent of canvas exposed to the wind.

noun. A low, narrow ridge of rocks, rising ordinarily but a few feet above the water.

noun. Any extensive elevation of the bottom of the sea; a shoal; abank: so called by fishermen.

noun. In Australia, the same as lode, vein, or ledge of the Cordilleran miner: as, a quartz-reef (that is, a quartz-vein).

noun. A kind of commercial sponge which grows on reefs.

Nautical, to take a reef or reefs in; reduce the size of (a sail) by rolling or folding up a part and securing it by tying reef-points about it.

To gather up stuff of any kind in away similar to that described in def. 1. Compare reefing.

See the quotation.

noun. In the Tyrolese Alps, and especially in the region of the dolomites, “massive un-stratified limestones and dolomites rising amid strikingly contrasted sediments.”

In Australian mining, to work at a reef.

Scabby; scurvy.

noun. The itch; also, any eruptive disorder.

noun. Dandruff.

noun. A chain or range of rocks lying at or near the surface of the water. See Coral reefs, under coral.

noun. A large vein of auriferous quartz; -- so called in Australia. Hence, any body of rock yielding valuable ore.

noun. any stony coral which contributes material to the formation of coral reefs.

noun. any heron of the genus Demigretta.

noun. That part of a sail which is taken in or let out by means of the reef points, in order to adapt the size of the sail to the force of the wind.

noun. the last reef that can be put in.

noun. See Reef-band in the Vocabulary.

noun. the knot which is used in tying reef pointss. See Illust. under Knot.

noun. a small rope formerly used to reef the courses by being passed spirally round the yard and through the holes of the reef.

noun. pieces of small rope passing through the eyelet holes of a reef-band, and used reefing the sail.

noun. a tackle by which the reef cringles, or rings, of a sail are hauled up to the yard for reefing.

noun. to reduce the size of (a sail) by folding or rolling up a reef, and lashing it to the spar.

transitive verb. To reduce the extent of (as a sail) by rolling or folding a certain portion of it and making it fast to the yard or spar.

transitive verb. to move the floats of a paddle wheel toward its center so that they will not dip so deeply.

adjective. Scabby; scurvy.

noun. The itch; any eruptive skin disorder.

noun. Dandruff.

noun. A chain or range of rocks, sand, or coral lying at or near the surface of the water.

noun. A large vein of auriferous quartz; hence, any body of rock yielding valuable ore.

noun. A portion of a sail rolled and tied down to lessen the area exposed in a high wind.

noun. A reef knot.

verb. To take in part of a sail in order to adapt the size of the sail to the force of the wind.

verb. To pull or yank strongly.

verb. reduce (a sail) by taking in a reef

noun. 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

noun. a submerged ridge of rock or coral near the surface of the water

noun. a rocky region in the southern Transvaal in northeastern South Africa; contains rich gold deposits and coal and manganese

verb. roll up (a portion of a sail) in order to reduce its area

verb. lower and bring partially inboard

"Finding we could not weather the reef, and that _it was too late had it been in our power to give any assistance_; and still fearing that we might be embayed or entangled by the supposed chain or patches; all therefore that remained for us to do was either by dint of carrying sail to weather the reef to the southward, (meaning the Cato's Bank,) or, if failing in that, to push to leeward and endeavour to find a passage through the _patches of reef_ to the northward."

close reef  close reefed  coral reef  floating reef  french reef  

coral reef  reef rash  reefed  reefing  

bring down  furl  get down  let down  lower  

Leif  aperitif  bas-relief  beef  belief  

beach  bluff  boulder  breaker  cave  

ait  archipelago  arrest  atoll  backpedal  

coral  

reefed  reefing  reefs