luff

Meaning

Noun

1. The vertical edge of a sail that is closest to the direction of the wind.
2. The act of sailing a ship close to the wind.
3. The roundest part of a ship's bow.
4. The forward or weather leech of a sail, especially of the jib, spanker, and other fore-and-aft sails.

Verb

1. To shake due to being trimmed improperly.
2. To bring the ship's head up closer to the wind. (Alternatively luff up)
3. to let out (a sail) so that it luffs.
4. To alter the vertical angle of the jib of a crane so as to bring it level with the load.

Synonyms

point

tack

beat

flicker

flitter

flutter

gutter

lieutenant

riffle

waver

flap

flick

Pronounced as (IPA)

/lʌf/

Etymology

From Old French lof. Collins English Dictionary states that this word is ultimately derived from Middle Dutch loef. Ellert Ekwall's Shakspere's Vocabulary: its etymological elements (1903) related this verb and loof instead to the East Frisian verb lofen, lufen, which would make it cognate to the French term lover.