Where does “reef” come from?
Reef comes from Old English rēaf, from Old Norse rif, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots kreup-, reup-, and krep-, all related to breaking or tearing.
reef (English): A chain or range of rocks, sand, or coral lying...
Definitions
- A chain or range of rocks, sand, or coral lying...
Ancestry of “reef”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | riff | A repeated instrumental melody line in a song; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | rif | — |
| 3 | Old English | hrif | body; womb; belly |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hrif | womb |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hrefaz | body; torso; stomach |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱrep- | — |
Words derived from “reef”