reef

English

/ɹiːf/

noun
Definitions
  • A chain or range of rocks, sand, or coral lying at or near the surface of the water.
  • (Australia) A large vein of auriferous quartz; hence, any body of rock yielding valuable ore.
  • (nautical) A portion of a sail rolled and tied down to lessen the area exposed in a high wind.
  • A reef knot.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English rif derived from Old Norse rif (reef, rib) derived from Proto-Germanic *ribją (rib, reef) derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rebʰ- (cover, arch, ceiling, roof, vault, rib, arch over).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*h₁rebʰ-

Gloss

cover, arch, ceiling, roof, vault, rib, arch over

Concept
Semantic Field

Basic actions and technology

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Kanji

肋

Emoji
🤭 📔

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms