Luff — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

(nautical) the forward edge of a fore-and-aft sail that is next to the mast

the act of sailing close to the wind

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/lˈʌf/

🇬🇧British English

/lˈʌf/

🇮🇳Indian English

/lˈʌf/

1 syllable Say it as /lˈʌf/.

Examples

the sails luffed

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

point

Parts of Speech

noun	(nautical) the forward edge of a fore-and-aft sail that is next to the mast
noun	the act of sailing close to the wind
verb	sail close to the wind
verb	flap when the wind is blowing equally on both sides “the sails luffed”

Word Forms

luff	verb	flap when the wind is blowing equally on both sides
luff	noun	the act of sailing close to the wind

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Vorliek

(nautisch) die Vorderkante eines Längssegels, die sich neben dem Mast befindet

🇫🇷French

guindant

(nautique) le bord avant d'une voile avant et arrière qui se trouve à côté du mât

🇪🇸Spanish

orzar

(náutico) el borde delantero de una vela de proa y popa que está al lado del mástil

🇮🇹Italian

orza

(nautico) il bordo anteriore di una vela avanti e indietro che si trova accanto all'albero

🇳🇱Dutch

loef

(nautisch) de voorrand van een voor- en achterzeil dat zich naast de mast bevindt

🇵🇹Portuguese

orçar

(náutico) a borda dianteira de uma vela de proa e popa que está próxima ao mastro

🇷🇺Russian

передняя шкаторина

(морской) передний край продольного паруса, расположенный рядом с мачтой.

India

🇮🇳Hindi

लफ

(समुद्री) मस्तूल के बगल में आगे और पीछे की पाल का आगे का किनारा

🇧🇩Bengali

লুফ

(নটিক্যাল) সামনের দিকের পালটির সামনের প্রান্ত যা মাস্তুলের পাশে থাকে

🇮🇳Tamil

லஃப்

(கடல்) மாஸ்டுக்கு அடுத்ததாக இருக்கும் முன்னும் பின்னும் படகோட்டியின் முன்னோக்கி விளிம்பு

🇮🇳Telugu

లఫ్

(నాటికల్) మాస్ట్ పక్కన ఉన్న ముందు మరియు వెనుక తెరచాప యొక్క ముందుకు అంచు

🇮🇳Marathi

लफ

(नॉटिकल) मास्टच्या शेजारी असलेल्या पुढे-मागे पालाची पुढची धार

🇮🇳Gujarati

લફ

(નૉટિકલ) આગળ-પાછળની સઢની આગળની ધાર જે માસ્ટની બાજુમાં છે

🇮🇳Kannada

ಲಫ್

(ನಾಟಿಕಲ್) ಮಾಸ್ಟ್‌ನ ಪಕ್ಕದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಮುಂಭಾಗ ಮತ್ತು ಹಿಂಭಾಗದ ಪಟದ ಮುಂದಕ್ಕೆ ಅಂಚು

🇮🇳Malayalam

ലഫ്

(നോട്ടിക്കൽ) കൊടിമരത്തിന് തൊട്ടടുത്തുള്ള ഒരു മുൻ-പിൻ കപ്പലിൻ്റെ മുൻവശം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਲਫ

(ਨਟੀਕਲ) ਇੱਕ ਅੱਗੇ-ਅਤੇ-ਬਾਅਦ ਸਮੁੰਦਰੀ ਜਹਾਜ਼ ਦਾ ਅਗਲਾ ਕਿਨਾਰਾ ਜੋ ਮਾਸਟ ਦੇ ਅੱਗੇ ਹੈ

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

拉夫

（航海）靠近桅杆的前后帆的前缘

🇯🇵Japanese

ラフ

(航海) マストの隣にある前後帆の前端

🇰🇷Korean

만곡부

(해상) 마스트 옆에 있는 앞뒤 돛의 앞쪽 가장자리

🇻🇳Vietnamese

ngu xuẩn

(hàng hải) mép trước của cánh buồm trước và sau cạnh cột buồm

🇹🇭Thai

ลัฟ

(ทะเล) ขอบใบหน้าและท้ายเรือที่อยู่ติดกับเสากระโดง

🇮🇩Indonesian

letnan

(Bahari) tepi depan layar depan dan belakang yang berada di sebelah tiang kapal

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

لوف

(بحري) الحافة الأمامية للشراع الأمامي والخلفي بجوار الصاري

🇹🇷Turkish

orsa

(denizcilik) direğin yanındaki ileri-geri yelkenin ön kenarı

🇮🇱Hebrew

לוף

(מימי) הקצה הקדמי של מפרש קדמי ואחורי שנמצא ליד התורן

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'luff'?

The primary meaning of 'luff' is '(nautical) the forward edge of a fore-and-aft sail that is next to the mast'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'luff' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'luff' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'luff' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'luff' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'luff' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'luff' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'luff' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'luff' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'luff' in a professional email?

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Would you classify 'luff' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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