From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Reef \Reef\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Reefed} (r[=e]ft); p. pr. & vb. n. {Reefing}.] (Naut.) 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. --Totten.
{To reef the paddles}, to move the floats of a paddle wheel toward its center so that they will not dip so deeply.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Reef \Reef\ (r[=e]f), noun [Akin to D. rif, G. riff, Icel. rif, Dan. rev; cf. Icel. rifa rift, rent, fissure, rifa to rive, bear. Cf. {Rift}, {Rive}.]
1. A chain or range of rocks lying at or near the surface of the water. See {Coral reefs}, under {Coral}.
2. (Mining.) A large vein of auriferous quartz; -- so called in Australia. Hence, any body of rock yielding valuable ore.
{Reef builder} (Zo["o]l.), any stony coral which contributes material to the formation of coral reefs.
{Reef heron} (Zo["o]l.), any heron of the genus {Demigretta}; as, the blue reef heron ({Demigretta jugularis}) of Australia.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Reef \Reef\, noun [Akin to D. reef, G. reff, Sw. ref; cf. Icel. rif reef, rifa to basten together. Cf. {Reeve}, verb (used with an object), {River}.] (Naut.) 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.
Note: From the head to the first reef-band, in square sails, is termed the first reef; from this to the next is the second reef; and so on. In fore-and-aft sails, which reef on the foot, the first reef is the lowest part. --Totten.
{Close reef}, the last reef that can be put in.
{Reef band}. See {Reef-band} in the Vocabulary.
{Reef knot}, the knot which is used in tying reef pointss. See Illust. under {Knot}.
{Reef line}, a small rope formerly used to reef the courses by being passed spirally round the yard and through the holes of the reef. --Totten.
{Reef points}, pieces of small rope passing through the eyelet holes of a reef-band, and used reefing the sail.
{Reef tackle}, a tackle by which the reef cringles, or rings, of a sail are hauled up to the yard for reefing. --Totten.
{To take a reef in}, to reduce the size of (a sail) by folding or rolling up a reef, and lashing it to the spar.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: a submerged ridge of rock or coral near the surface of the water
2: a rocky region in the southern Transvaal in northeastern South Africa; contains rich gold deposits and coal and manganese [syn: {Witwatersrand}, {Rand}]
verb
1: lower and bring partially inboard; "reef the sailboat's mast"
2: roll up (a portion of a sail) in order to reduce its area
3: reduce (a sail) by taking in a reef
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
123 Moby Thesaurus words for "reef": ait, archipelago, arrest, atoll, backpedal, backwater, bank, bar, bill, brake, breakwater, cape, cay, check, chersonese, clear the decks, clip the wings, consider every angle, continental island, coral head, coral heads, coral island, coral reef, curb, decelerate, delay, delta, detain, dowse sail, draw rein, ease off, ease up, flat, ford, forearm, foreland, furl, guard against, hand a sail, head, headland, hedge, hold back, hold in check, hold up, holm, hook, impede, insularity, ironbound coast, island, island group, islandology, isle, islet, keep back, key, leave out nothing, ledges, lee shore, let down, let up, lose ground, lose momentum, lose speed, make sure, make sure against, moderate, mull, naze, ness, obstruct, oceanic island, overlook no possibility, peninsula, pitfall, play safe, point, prepare for, promontory, provide a hedge, provide against, provide for, quicksands, reduce sail, reef down, rein in, relax, retard, rockbound coast, rocks, sandbank, sandbar, sands, sandspit, set back, shallow, shallows, shelf, shoal, shoal water, shoals, shorten sail, slack off, slack up, slacken, slow, slow down, slow up, snug down, spit, spur, stay, take in sail, take measures, take precautions, take steps, throttle down, tidal flats, tongue, undercurrent, undertow, wetlands
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