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luff
(redirected from luffs)

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
luff  (lf)
n.
1.
a. The act of sailing closer into the wind.
b. The forward side of a fore-and-aft sail.
2. Archaic The fullest part of the bow of a ship.
v. luffed, luff·ing, luffs
v.intr.
1. To steer a sailing vessel closer into the wind, especially with the sails flapping.
2. To flap while losing wind. Used of a sail.
v.tr.
1. To sail (a vessel, such as a yacht) closer into the wind during a race so as to prevent an opponent's craft from passing on the windward side.
2. To raise or lower (the boom of a crane or derrick).

[Middle English lof, spar holding out the windward tack of a square sail, from Old French, probably of Germanic origin.]

luff [lʌf]
n
(Transport / Nautical Terms) Nautical the leading edge of a fore-and-aft sail
n
(Transport / Nautical Terms) tackle consisting of a single and a double, block for use with rope having a large diameter
vb
1. (Transport / Nautical Terms) Nautical to head (a sailing vessel) into the wind so that her sails flap
2. (Transport / Nautical Terms) (intr) Nautical (of a sail) to flap when the wind is blowing equally on both sides
3. (Engineering / Mechanical Engineering) to move the jib of (a crane) or raise or lower the boom of (a derrick) in order to shift a load
[C13 (in the sense: steering gear): from Old French lof, perhaps from Middle Dutch loef peg of a tiller; compare Old High German laffa palm of hand, oar blade, Russian lapa paw]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.luff - (nautical) the forward edge of a fore-and-aft sail that is next to the mast
sailing, seafaring, navigation - the work of a sailor
edge - the outside limit of an object or area or surface; a place farthest away from the center of something; "the edge of the leaf is wavy"; "she sat on the edge of the bed"; "the water's edge"
fore-and-aft sail - any sail not set on a yard and whose normal position is in a fore-and-aft direction
2.luff - the act of sailing close to the wind
sailing - riding in a sailboat
Verb1.luff - sail close to the wind
navigation, pilotage, piloting - the guidance of ships or airplanes from place to place
sail - travel on water propelled by wind; "I love sailing, especially on the open sea"; "the ship sails on"
2.luff - flap when the wind is blowing equally on both sides; "the sails luffed"
flap, undulate, wave, roll - move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion; "The curtains undulated"; "the waves rolled towards the beach"
Translations
luff [lʌf]
A. Norza f
B. VIorzar
luff (Naut)
nVorliek nt
vti(an)luven
luff [lʌf] vi (Naut) → fileggiare
luff [lʌf] vi (Naut) → fileggiare


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