luff

Imagine you're sailing on a bright day, with a steady wind pushing the boat along. To "luff" mainly means to turn the front of the boat into the wind. When that happens, the sails lose power and begin to flap, so the boat slows down or nearly stops. Sailors do this to reduce speed, avoid danger, or get control back in a strong gust.

But "luff" is not only a verb; it is also a noun. It can mean the front edge of a sail, the part that meets the wind first. If a sail starts to "luff," that edge trembles and flaps because the boat is pointed too close to the wind or the sail is not pulled in enough. So the word can describe both a sailing move and the front part of the sail itself.

The word "luff" belongs to the language of sailing. Its main meaning is to turn the front of a sailboat into the wind. When a sailor luffs the boat, they steer closer to the wind's direction. As a result, the sails stop pulling well, begin to shake or flap, and the boat loses speed. This is a useful move when the sailor wants to slow down quickly, avoid a problem, or stay in control in rougher wind. In older sea language, a command such as "Hard a-luff!" told the crew to bring the ship sharply up into the wind.

The word also names part of the sail itself. The luff is the front edge of a sail, usually the edge attached to the mast or to a stay. Since this edge meets the wind first, it is also the first place where you can see trouble if the sail is not trimmed well or if the boat is pointed too close to the wind.

There is one more common use. A sail can itself "luff." In that case, the fabric flutters, shakes, or hangs unsteadily because it is no longer filled properly with wind. A sailor might say, "The mainsail began to luff as we turned upwind." So in sailing, "luff" can describe an action by the boat, a part of the sail, or the flapping motion of the sail when the wind is not hitting it in the right way.