reef vs sandbank

reef

noun
  • A chain or range of rocks, sand, or coral lying at or near the surface of the water. 

  • A reef knot. 

  • The itch; any eruptive skin disorder. 

  • A large vein of auriferous quartz; hence, any body of rock yielding valuable ore. 

  • A portion of a sail rolled and tied down to lessen the area exposed in a high wind. 

  • Dandruff. 

verb
  • To take in part of a sail in order to adapt the size of the sail to the force of the wind. 

  • To pull or yank strongly, especially in relation to horse riding. 

  • To move the floats of a paddle wheel toward its center so that they will not dip so deeply. 

  • To manipulate the lining of a person's pocket in order to steal the contents unnoticed. 

adj
  • Scabby; scurvy. 

sandbank

noun
  • A ridge of sand along a shore that is partially or totally submerged and thus a hazard to shipping. 

How often have the words reef and sandbank occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )