LUFF

luff

(noun) the act of sailing close to the wind

luff

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

luff

(verb) flap when the wind is blowing equally on both sides; “the sails luffed”

luff, point

(verb) sail close to the wind

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

luff (plural luffs)

(nautical) The vertical edge of a sail that is closest to the direction of the wind.

(nautical) The act of sailing a ship close to the wind.

(nautical) The roundest part of a ship's bow.

(nautical) The forward or weather leech of a sail, especially of the jib, spanker, and other fore-and-aft sails.

Verb

luff (third-person singular simple present luffs, present participle luffing, simple past and past participle luffed)

(nautical, of a sail, intransitive) To shake due to being trimmed improperly.

(nautical, of a boat, intransitive) To alter course to windward so that the sails luff. (Alternatively luff up)

(nautical, transitive) to let out (a sail) so that it luffs.

(mechanical) To alter the vertical angle of the jib of a crane so as to bring it level with the load.

Proper noun

Luff (plural Luffs)

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Luff is the 18378^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 1507 individuals. Luff is most common among White (93.03%) individuals.

Source: Wiktionary

Luff, n. Etym: [OE. lof, prob. a sort of timber by which the course of a ship was directed, perh. a sort of paddle; cf. D. loef luff, loeven to luff. The word is perh. akin to E. glove. Cf. Aloof.] (Naut.) (a) The side of a ship toward the wind. (b) The act of sailing a ship close to the wind. (c) The roundest part of a ship's bow. (d) The forward or weather leech of a sail, especially of the jib, spanker, and other fore-and-aft sails. Luff tackle, a purchase composed of a double and single block and fall, used for various purposes. Totten.

– Luff upon luff, a luff tackle attached to the fall of another luff tackle. R. H. Dana, Jr.

Luff, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Luffed; p. pr. & vb. n. Luffing.] (Naut.)

Definition: To turn the head of a vessel toward the wind; to sail nearer the wind; to turn the tiller so as to make the vessel sail nearer the wind. To luff round, or To luff alee, to make the extreme of this movement, for the purpose of throwing the ship's head into the wind.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition