reef

Where does the word "reef" come from? It comes from Old Norse rif, and was adopted directly into English (1580s).

Reef’s story begins in Old Norse: rif meant “a rib.” A rib, describing a ridge of rock or coral resembling a rib beneath the water. It reached English by 1580s as reef. Settled as the English word for a ridge of rock, sand, or coral near the water's surface. Today, reef means a ridge of rock, sand, or coral lying near the surface of the sea.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval rif "a rib", a rib, describing a ridge of rock or coral resembling a rib beneath the water.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1580s reef "a ridge of rock or coral near the water's surface", settled as the English word for a ridge of rock, sand, or coral near the water's surface.