# luff

> English word · Noun · IPA /lʌf/ · frequency rank #62,286

## Definitions
1. The vertical edge of a sail that is closest to the direction of the wind.
2. The act of sailing a ship close to the wind.
3. The roundest part of a ship's bow.
4. The forward or weather leech of a sail, especially of the jib, spanker, and other fore-and-aft sails.

## Etymology
From Old French lof. Collins English Dictionary states that this word is ultimately derived from Middle Dutch loef. Ellert Ekwall's Shakspere's Vocabulary: its etymological elements (1903) related this verb and loof instead to the East Frisian verb lofen, lufen, which would make it cognate to the French term lover.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/luff