bight

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a broad curve or indentation in a coastline, or the bay enclosed by it

   The vessel anchored in a sheltered bight beyond the headland.

2. 2
   noun

   the slack middle part or a loop of a rope, as distinct from its ends

   The sailor took a bight of rope and passed it around the post.

3. 3
   verb

   to fasten or bind something with a bight of rope

   They bighted the line around the timber before hauling it ashore.

From Middle English bight and Old English byht, 'bend, corner, or bay,' from the Germanic verb represented by bow, 'to bend.' The shared image of a bend explains both the coastal indentation and the curved or slack part of a rope.

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