Emily Dickinson Lexicon

REE, or RE, n.

A small Portuguese coin or money of account, value about one mill and a fourth, American money.

REE, v.t. [This belongs to the root of rid, riddle, – which see.]

To riddle; to sift; that is, to separate or throw off. [Not in use or local.] – Mortimer.

RE-ECH'O, n.

The echo of an echo.

RE-ECH'O, v.i. [supra.]

To echo back; to return back or be reverberated; as an echo. And a loud groan re-echoes from the main. – Pope.

RE-ECH'O, v.t. [re and echo.]

To echo back; to reverberate again; as, the hills re-echo the roar of cannon.

RE-ECH'O-ED, pp. [supra.]

Returned, as sound; reverberated again.

RE-ECH'O-ING, ppr.

Returning or reverberating an echo.

REECH'Y, a. [a mis-spelling of Reeky. See Reek.]

Tarnished with smoke; sooty; foul; as, a reechy neck. – Shak.

REED, n. [Sax. hreod, reod; G. rieth; D. riet; Goth. raus; Fr. roseau; Ir. readan; probably allied to rod.]

1. The common name of many aquatic plants; most of them large grasses, with hollow jointed stems, such as the common reed of the genus Arundo, the bamboo, &c. The bur-reed is of the genus Sparganium; the Indian flowering reed of the genus Canna.
2. A musical pipe; reeds being anciently used for instruments of music. – Milton.
3. A little tube through which a hautboy, bassoon or clarinet is blown.
4. An arrow, as made of a reed headed. – Prior.
5. Thatch. – West of England.
6. A weaver's instrument for separating the threads of the warp.

REED-CROWN'ED, a.

Crowned with reeds. – Hemans.

REED'ED, a.

1. Covered with reeds. – Tusser.
2. Formed with channels and ridges like reeds.

REED'EN, a. [ree'dn.]

Consisting of a reed or reeds; as, reeden pipes. – Dryden.

REED'-GRASS, n.

A plant, bur-reed, of the genus Sparganium.

RE-ED-I-FI-CA'TION, n. [from re-edify.]

Act or operation of rebuilding; state of being rebuilt. – D'Anville, Trans.

RE-ED'I-FI-ED, pp.

Rebuilt.

RE-ED'I-FY, v.t. [Fr. réédifier; re and edify.]

To rebuild; to build again after destruction. – Milton.

RE-ED'I-FY-ING, ppr.

Rebuilding.

REED'LESS, a.

Destitute of reeds; as, reedless banks. – May.

REED'-MACE, n.

A plant of the genus Typha. – Lee.

REED'Y, a.¹

Abounding with reeds; as, a reedy pool. – Thomson.

REED'Y, a.²

Having the quality of a reed in tone.

REEF, n.¹ [D. reef; Dan. riv or rift; Sw. ref. These words coincide in orthography with the verb to rive, and if from this root, the primary sense is a division, W. rhiv and rhif. But in Welsh, rhêv signifies a collection or bundle, as thick; rhevu, to thicken in compass; and if from this root a reef is a fold, and to reef is to fold.]

A certain portion of a sail between the top or bottom and a row of eyelet holes, which is folded or rolled up to contract the sail, when the violence of the wind renders it necessary. – Mar. Dict.

REEF, n.² [G. riff; D. rif, a reef or sand bank, a carcase, a skeleton. Qu. W. rhevu, to thicken.]

A chain or range of rocks lying at or near the surface of the water. – Mar. Dict.

REEF, v.t. [from the noun.]

To contract or reduce the extent of a sail by rolling or folding a certain portion of it and making it fast to the yard. – Mar. Dict.

REEF'-BAND, n.

A piece of canvas sewed across a sail, to strengthen it in the part where the eyelet holes are formed.