reef 
The riff, or hank of rocks, on which the French fleet 
was lost, runs along from the east and to the northward 
about three mik'S. Dumpier, Voyages, I., an. 1681, note. 
3. In Australia, the same as lode, vein, or ledge 
of the Cordilleran miner: as, a quartz-re(/(that 
is, a quartz- vein). 
Many a promising gold field has been ruined by having 
bad machinery put up on it. Reefs that would have paid 
handsomely with good machinery are abandoned as un- 
payable, and the field is deserted. 
II. Finch-Hatton, Advance Australia, p. 218. 
4. A kind of commercial sponge which grows 
on reefs. [A trade-name.] 
British Consul Little of Havana says, according to the 
"Journal of the Society of Arts," that the classes [of 
sponges] included are sheep wool, velvet, hard-head, yel- 
low, grass, and glova. Very little reef, if any, is found In 
Cuba. Science, XIV. 351. 
Coral reef, an accumulation of calcareous material which 
has been secreted from the water of the tropical ocean, 
and especially of the Pacific to the south of the equator, 
by the reef-building corals. Such accumulations, which 
are often of great dimensions, otfer curious peculiarities 
of form and distribution. They have been classified un- 
der the names of fringing and barrier reefg and atolltt. 
Fringing reefs border the land ; barrier reefs extend paral- 
lel with but at some distance from the shore ; atolls are 
approximately circular or elliptical in form, and typical 
atolls inclose a lagoon, which usually communicates with 
the ocean by one or more passages through the reef. Bar- 
rier reefs may be hundreds of miles in length ; that off the 
shore of Australia is 1,250 miles long, and from 10 to 90 
broad. Atolls vary from 1 to 50 miles and over in diameter. 
The principal mass of a coral reef consists essentially of 
dead coral, together with more or less of the skeletons and 
shells of other marine organisms; this dead material is 
mingled with debris resulting from the action of breakers 
and currents on the coralline formation. The exterior of 
such a reef, where conditions are favorable to the develop- 
ment of the coral animals, especially on its seaward face, 
is covered with a layer or mantle of living and growing 
coral, and the rapidity and vigor of this growth depend 
on the supply of food brought by the oceanic currents. 
Where the conditions for this supply have not been favor- 
able, there the reefs are not found ; where the conditions 
have been such as to encourage growth, but have ceased 
to have this character, there the formation of the reef has 
slackened or been stopped altogether. Investigations 
have shown that the reel-building corals cannot flourish 
where the temperature of the surface-water sinks below 
70 ; in the typical coral regions the temperature is decid- 
edly higher than that, and its range very small. Neither 
can the reef-builders workataconsiderabledepth.orabove 
the level of low tide ; their entire vertical range is not 
more than 15 or 20 fathoms at the utmost. These condi- 
tions of coral-reef formation, coupled with the fact that 
the carbonate of lime in the form in which it has been left 
by the death of the organisms by which It was secreted is 
decidedly soluble in sea-water, are sufficient to account 
for all the peculiarities in the distribution and mode of oc- 
currence of these remarkable structures. It is because 
the currents sweeping toward the eastern shores of the 
continents are warm and constant that, while the western 
sides of Africa and South America exhibit only isolated 
patches of coral, the eastern borders are abundantly sup- 
plied with it. It is not now considered necessary to call 
in the assistance of a general subsidence of the Pacific 
Ocean bottom in order to account forthe form of the atolls ; 
for it is the opinion of mostof the recent investigators that 
all the characteristic features of the coral formations 
whether these occur as fringing or barrier reefs, or as atolls 
can be produced in regions of subsidence or of eleva- 
tion, as well as in those where no change of level is taking 
place. 
reef 2 (ref), . [Formerly riff; < ME. riff, < MD. 
rif (also rift), D. reef = LG. reff, riff (> G. reef, 
reff) = Icel. rif = Sw. ref Dan. reb, a reef of 
a sail; of uncertain origin; perhaps of like ori- 
gin with reef 1 . Hence reef' 2 , v.*, and reeve^.] 
Naut., apartof asail rolled orfolded up, in order 
to diminish the extent of canvas exposed to the 
wind. In topsails and courses, and sometimes in top- 
gallantsails, the reef is the part of the sail between the 
head and the first reef-band, or between any two reef-bands ; 
in fore-and-aft sails reefs are taken on the foot. There 
are generally three or four reefs in topsails, and one or two 
in courses. 
Calms are our dread ; when tempests plough the deep, 
We take a reef, and to the rocking sleep. 
Crabbe, Works, I. 48. 
Close reef. See rfoses. French reef, reefing of sails 
when they are fitted with rope jackstays instead of points. 
reef 2 (ref), v. [< reef' 2 , n. Cf. the doublet 
reeve**.] I. trans. 1. Naut., to take a reef or 
reefs in; reduce the size of (a sail) by rolling 
or folding up a part and securing it by tying 
reef-points about it. In square sails the reef-points 
are tied round the yard as well as the sail ; in fore-and-aft 
sails they may or may not be tied round the boom which 
extends the foot of the sail. In very large ships, where 
the yards are so large as to make it inconvenient to tie 
the reef-points around them, the sails are sometimes 
reefed to jackstays on the yards. 
Up, aloft, lads ! Come, reef both topsails ! 
Dcaenanl and Dryden, Tempest, i. 1. 
2. To gather up stuff of any kind in a way simi- 
lar to that described in def . ] . Compare reefing. 
Close reefed, the condition of a sail when all Its reefs 
have been taken in. To reef paddles, in steamships, to 
disconnect the float-boards from the paddle-arms and bolt 
them again nearer the center of the wheel, in order tu di- 
minish the dip when the vessel is deep. To reef the 
bowsprit, to rig in the bowsprit. The phrase usually has 
5029 
application to yachts; men-of-war are said to fi>j in their 
bowsprits. 
The bou-ipri/e on cutters can be reefed by being drawn 
closer in and fiddcd. Yactttman's Guide. 
II. iii trans. See the quotation. [Colloq.] 
In some subtle way, however, when the driver moves the 
bit to and fro in his mouth, the effect is to enliven and 
stimulate the horse, as if something of the jockey's spirit 
were thus conveyed to his mind. If this motion be per- 
formed with an exaggerated movement of the arm, it is 
called reefing. The Atlantic, LXIV. 115. 
reef* (ref), a. and n. [Also (Sc.) reif, rief; < ME. 
ref, < AS. lircof, scabby, leprous, rough (> hreo- 
fol, lireofl, scabbiness, leprosy, hre6flig, lep- 
rous, lircdfla, a leper), = OHG. riob, leprous, = 
Icel. hrjuj'r, scabby, rough. Cf. Icel. rt/f, scurf, 
eruption of the skin; perhaps connected with 
rlfit, break: see rive.] I. a. Scabby; scurvy. 
Kings and nations, swith awa ! 
Reif randies, I disown ye ! 
Burnt, Louis, What Beck I by Thee? 
II. n. 1. The itch; also, any eruptive dis- 
order. [Prov. Eug.] 2. Dandruff. [Prov. 
Eng.] 
reef-band (ref band), n. A strong strip of can- 
vas extending across a sail, in a direction par- 
allel to its head or foot, to strengthen it. The 
reef-band has eyelet-holes at regular intervals for the 
reef-points which secure it when reefed. Balance reef- 
band, a reef-band extending diagonally across a fore-and- 
aft sail. .See reefz, n. 
reef-builder (ref 'bidder), . Any coral which 
builds a reef. 
reef-building (ref bil'ding), a. Constructing 
or building up a coral reef, as a reef-builder. 
reef-cringle (refkring"gl), n. See cringle (a). 
reef-earing (ref'er"ing), n. See earing 1 . 
reefer 1 (re'fer), n. [< reef 1 + -er 1 .] An oyster 
that grows on reefs in the wild or untransplant- 
ed state ; a reef-oyster. 
reefer 2 (re'fer), n. [< reef 1 * + -er 1 .] 1. One 
who reefs: a name familiarly applied to mid- 
shipmen, because they attended in the tops 
during the operation of reefing. Admiral Smyth. 
The steerage or gun-room was ever heaven, the scene of 
happiness unalloyed, the home of darling reefers who own 
the hearts they won long years ago, the abode of briny 
mirth, of tarry Jollity. Harper's Mag., LXXVII. 166. 
2. A short coat or jacket worn by sailors and 
fishermen, and copied for general use by the 
fashions of 1888-90. 
reef-goose (ref'gos), . The common wild 
goose of North America, Bernicla canadensis. 
See cut under Bernicla. [North Carolina.] 
reefing (re'fing), . [Verbal n. of ra>/2, v.] In 
upholstery, the gathering up of the material of 
a curtain, valance, or the like, as in short fes- 
toons. 
reefing-beckets (re'fing-bek"ets), . pi. Sen- 
net straps fitted with an eye and toggle, used 
in reefing when sails are fitted with French 
reefs. The toggle part is generally seized to the Iron 
Jackstay on the yard, and the tail of the strap is taken 
around the rope Jackstay on the sail, the eye being then 
placed over the toggle. 
reefing-jacket (re'fing-jak'et), n. A close-fit- 
ting jacket or short coat made of strong heavy 
cloth. 
reeflng-point (re'fing-point), n. Naut., a reef- 
point. 
reef-jig, reef-jigger (ref jig, -jig"er), n. Naut., 
a small tackle sometimes used in reefing to 
stretch the reef-band taut before knotting the 
points. 
reef-knot (ref not), n. Same as square knot 
(which see, under knot 1 ). 
reef-line (ref '1m), n. Naut., a temporary means 
of spilling a sail, arranged so that it can serve 
when the wind is blowing fresh. 
reef-oyster (ref 'ois"ter), n. A reefer. See reef- 
er 1 and oyster. 
reef-pendant (ref 'pen"dant), n. Naut., in fore- 
and-aft sails, a rope through a sheave-hole in 
the boom, with a tackle attached, to haul the 
after-leech down to the boom while reefing; in 
square sails, a rope fastened to the leech of the 
sail and rove up through the yard-arm, having 
a purchase hooked to the upper end, to serve 
as a reef-tackle. 
reef-point (ref point), n. Naut., a short piece 
of rope fastened by the middle in each eyelet- 
hole of a reef-band, to secure the sail in reef- 
ing. 
reef-squid (ref'skwid), n. A lashing or earing 
used aboard the luggers on the south coast of 
England to lash the outer cringle of the sail 
when reefing. 
reef-tackle (ref tak"l), n. Naut., a tackle fas- 
tened to the leeches of a sail below the close- 
reel 
reef band, used to haul the leeches of the sail 
up to the yard to facilitate reefing. 
reek 1 (rek), v. [< ME. reken, reoken ; (a) < AS. 
reocan (strong verb, pret. rede, pi. rucoii), smoke, 
steam, = OFrics. riaka = D. rieken, ruiken = 
MLGr. ruken, LG. ruiken, rieken = OHG. rinli- 
l/an, riohlian, MHG. rieclten, G. rieclien (pret. 
rocli), smell, raiichen, smoke, = Icel. rjuka (pret. 
m ah', pi. ruku) = Sw. roka, ri/ka = Dan. riige, 
ryge = Goth, "riukaii (not recorded), smoke; 
(6) < AS. recan (pret. rente) (= OFries. rel'a = 
D. rooken = MLG. roktu = OHG. roulian = Icel. 
reykja), tr., smoke, steam. Hence reek 1 , n. No 
connection with Skt. raja, rajas, dimness, sky, 
dust, pollen, rajatii, night, ^/ ranj, dye.] I. in- 
trans. To smoke; steam; exhale. 
The encence out of the fyr reketh sote [sweet]. 
Chaucer, Good Women, 1. 2612. 
Frae many a spout came running out 
His reeking-het red gore. 
Battle of Tranent-Muir (Child's Ballads, VII. 170). 
I found me laid 
In balmy sweat, which with his beams the sun 
Soon dried, and on the reeking moisture fed. 
Milton, P. L., viii. 256. 
The reeking entrails on the fire they threw, 
And to the gods the grateful odour flew. 
Dryden, tr. of Ovid's iletamorph., xii. 211. 
The floor reeked with the recent scrubbing, and the god- 
dess did not like the smell of brown soap. 
Thackeray, Pendennis, Ixvi. 
II. trans. To smoke ; expose to smoke. 
After the halves [of the moulds] are so coated or reeked, 
they are fitted together. 
W. H. Greenwood, Steel and Iron, p. 428. 
reek 1 (rek), n. [< ME. reek, rek, rike, reik (also 
assibilated recite, > E. reecli), < AS. rec, smoke, 
vapor, = OS. rok = OFries. rek = D. rook = 
MLG. roke, LG. rook = OHG. rouli, MHG. roucli, 
G. ranch, smoke, vapor, = Icel. reykr, smoke, 
steam (cf.rokr, twilight: see Eagnarok),= Sw. 
rok = Dan. rog, smoke; from the verb. Cf. 
Goth, rikwis, darkness, smoke.] 1. Smoke; va- 
por; steam; exhalation; fume. [Obsolete, ar- 
chaic, or Scotch.] 
You common cry of curs ! whose breath I hate 
As reek o' the rotten fens. Shak., Cor., iii. 3. 121. 
As hateful to me as the reek of a lime-kiln. 
Shak., M. W. of W., iii. 3. 86. 
The reek it rose, and the flame it flew, 
And oh the fire augmented high. 
Quoted in Chad's Ballads, VI. 178. 
The reek o' the cot hung over the plain 
Like a little wee cloud in the world its lane. 
Hogg, Kilmeny. 
2f. Incense. 
Reke, that is a gretyngful prayer of men that do pen- 
ance. MS. Coll. Eton. 10, f. 25. (Hattiwell.) 
Kale through the reek. See kale. 
reek 2 t (rek), n. [< ME. reek, < AS. Jiredc = Icel. 
hratikr, a heap, rick. Cf. the related rick and 
ruck.] A rick; also, a small bundle of hay. 
Halliwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
I'll instantly set all my hinds to thrashing 
Of a whole reek of corn. 
B. Jonson, Every Man out of his Humour, ii. 1. (Nares.) 
reeky (re'ki), a. [Also in Sc. spelling reekie, 
and assibilated reecliy ; < reek 1 + -y 1 .] 1. 
Smoky; soiled with smoke. 
Now he [the devil] 's taen her hame to his ain reeky den. 
Burns (1st ed.), There lived a Carle on Kellyburn Braes. 
2. Giving out reek or vapor ; giving out fumes 
or odors, especially offensive odors. See reek 1 . 
Shut me nightly in a charnel-house, . . . 
With reeky shanks, and yellow chapless skulls. 
Shak., E. and J., iv. 1. 83. 
Seeing the reeky 
Repast placed before him, scarce able to spenk, he 
In ecstasy mutter'd, " By Jove, Cocky-leeky I " 
Barham, Ingoldsby Legends, I. 310. 
reel 1 (rel), n. [< ME. reel, rcele, rele, reyle, a 
reel, < AS. rcdl, also hredl (glossing ML. ali- 
brum), a reel; cf. Icel. lireell, reell, a weavers' 
rod or sley; Gael. ruidJiil, a reel for winding 
yarn on. Root unknown. Cf. rreP 2 .] A cylinder 
or frame turning on an axis, on which thread, 
yarn, string, rope, etc., are wound. Specifically 
(a) A roller or bobbin for thread used in sewing; a 
spool. 
Down went the blue-frilled work-basket, . . . dispers- 
ing on the floor reels, thimble, muslin-work. 
George Eliot, Felix Holt, v. 
(6) A machine on which yarn is wound to form it into 
hanks, skeins, etc. 
Oh leeze me on my spinning-wheel, 
Oh leeze me on my rock an' reel. 
Burns, Bess and her Spinning- Wheel, 
(c) In rope-making, the frame on which the spun-yarns 
are wound as each length is twisted, previous to tarring 
or laying up into strands, (d) The revolving frame upon 
which silk-fiber is wound from the cocoon, (e) Anything 
prepared for winding thread upon, as an open framework 
