Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
reefed en · ADJ
Meanings
Having part of a sail tied up in order to adapt the size of the sail to the force of the wind.
The mainsail was "scandalised" - a nautical mode of describing a sail reefed at both ends[.] 1887, Mrs. Dominic D. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 16:
(of a parachute, qualifier:space flight) Semi-deployed, with the canopy initially restricted from fully opening, in order to avoid subjecting the canopy to excessive air loads or the payload to excessive g-forces from fully deploying at high airspeed.