reef

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B2 — Upper-Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a submerged ridge of rock or coral near the surface of the water
  2. noun a rocky region in the southern Transvaal in northeastern South Africa; contains rich gold deposits and coal and manganese
  3. 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

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.

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