reef: English has two words reef, which both come from the same source, but have reached the language via different routes. That source was Old Norse rif ‘rib’, a close relative of English rib. Amongst its metaphorical senses were ‘horizontal section of sail’, which English acquired in the 14th century via Middle Dutch rif as riff, later reef, and ‘underwater ridge of rock’, which came into English in the 16th century via Middle Low German ref. The former was put to verbal use in the 17th century in the sense ‘furl sails’, which may underlie reefer ‘marijuana cigarette’ [20] – perhaps a ‘furled’ cigarette. => rib
reef (n.1)
"rock ridge underwater," 1580s, riffe, probably via Dutch riffe, from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse rif "ridge in the sea; reef in a sail," literally "rib" (see rib (n.)).
reef (n.2)
"horizontal section of sail," late 14c. (mid-14c. in rif-rope), from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse rif "reef of a sail," probably a transferred use of rif "ridge under the sea; rib" (see rib (n.) and compare reef (n.1)). German reff, Swedish ref, Norwegian riv, Danish reb likely all are from the Old Norse word.
reef (v.)
1660s, "take in, roll up" (as one would a section of a sail on a ship), from reef (n.2). Related: Reefed; reefing.
雙語例句
1. A coral reef is built by the accretion of tiny, identical organisms.