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reef

[reef]

Example Sentences Origin

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noun

a ridge of rocks or sand, often of coral debris, at or near the surface of the water.

Mining. a lode or vein.

Origin:
1575–85; earlier riff(e) < Dutch rif

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Reef is always a great word to know.

So is gobo. Does it mean:

a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

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Example Sentences

In a single day the anchor of a cruise ship can destroy an area of coral reef half the size of a football pitch.

Coral reef team with a mind-boggling array of life in waters that are often nutrient poor.

During coral growth, these elements are incorporated into the reef skeleton in varying amounts.

EXPAND

In a single day the anchor of a cruise ship can destroy an area of coral reef half the size of a football pitch.

Coral reef team with a mind-boggling array of life in waters that are often nutrient poor.

During coral growth, these elements are incorporated into the reef skeleton in varying amounts.

Certain sea creatures tint their skin with pigments from the corals they've eaten to take on the color of their home reef.

Seen in the right light, yellow reef fish become spotty pains in the tail fin.

Tropical reef fish are falling victim to cyanide and dynamite fishing.

When looking for first homes, reef fish tend toward noisy reefs, new experiments show.

New evidence that baby fish and shrimp stick close to home may be the key to saving coral reef biodiversity.

Overfishing and reef destruction almost eliminated large fish, then medium-sized fish, finally leaving only the small ones.

So stressed middle-sized fish make for both happy coral and happy predators-in short, a healthy and highly productive reef.

In contrast, even beach umbrellas survived the milder surge along an adjacent beach where the reef was still intact.

The vessel may have also been on autopilot when it hit the reef.

The discovery of a reef of high-quality emeralds several miles long bears this optimism out.

Oriskany is the largest warship ever to be intentionally sunk as an artificial coral reef.

As the tide comes in over exposed coral reef platforms it follows the.

It is surrounded by a reef that will grow and rise with the sea.

Snails, marmots, condors and coral reef are among the many species on the continent that are close to extinction.

Re-create the look of an ocean reef with succulent plants.

Researchers fear that these plumes could wreak havoc on the reef and the multifarious sea life that live there.

Sailors hop to it, and in an emergency, they can be counted on to reef the mainsail and batten down.

Years had been expended in mining the formidable reef that stretched thence into the river, and when the loading was complete.

Smaller fish keep their distance when a blacktip reef shark swims amongst them in shallow.

In the lagoon between the reef and the mainland, there are thousands of mangrove islands.

When ocean life is mentioned, it's in the context of of coral reef bleaching or acidifying waters.

But the engines died, and the submarine grounded on yet another coral reef.

Each survey measured the percentage of seafloor covered of hard corals-a key indicator of reef health.

Smaller fish keep their distance when a blacktip reef shark swims amongst them.

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

a part of a sail that is rolled and tied down to reduce the area exposed to the wind.

verb (used with object)

to shorten (sail) by tying in one or more reefs.

to reduce the length of (a topmast, a bowsprit, etc.), as by lowering, sliding inboard, or the like.

to pull (old oakum) out of seams, as with a rave hook (often followed by out).

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English refe (noun) < Dutch reef

Related forms

un·reefed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To reef

Collins

World English Dictionary

reef¹ (riːf)

—n
1.	a ridge of rock, sand, coral, etc, the top of which lies close to the surface of the sea
2.	a ridge- or mound-like structure built by sedentary calcareous organisms (esp corals) and consisting mainly of their remains
3.	a vein of ore, esp one of gold-bearing quartz

[C16: from Middle Dutch ref, from Old Norse rifrib¹, reef²]

reef² (riːf)

—n
1.	the part gathered in when sail area is reduced, as in a high wind

—vb
2.	to reduce the area of (sail) by taking in a reef
3.	(tr) to shorten or bring inboard (a spar)

[C14: from Middle Dutch rif; related to Old Norse rif reef, rib¹, German reffen to reef; see reef¹]

Reef (riːf)

—n
1.	another name for the Great Barrier Reef
2.	another name for the Witwatersrand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

reef

"ridge underwater," 1584, probably via Du. riffe, from O.N. rif "ridge," lit. "rib" (see rib).

EXPAND

reef

"horizontal section of sail," late 14c., from O.N. rif "reef of a sail," probably a transferred use of rif "ridge, rib" (see rib). Cf. Ger. reff, Swed. ref, Norw. riv, Dan. reb, all from the O.N. word. Reefer as a nickname for "midshipman" (1818) is source of the meaning "coat

of a nautical cut" (1878).

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

reef (rēf) Pronunciation Key
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.

Slang Dictionary

reefer definition

[ˈrifɚ]

n.
a refrigerator. : A new reefer costs nearly $1,000!
n.
and reef. cannabis; a marijuana cigarette. (Drugs. Akin to greefo.) : He had a fat reef in his hand when he was busted.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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"Striking his former happiness against the reef of justice he has perished unwept for and unseen."

-Aeschylus

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