reef (n.)

  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 , reef ]

  3. 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

    reef (v.)

  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

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
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