bitt

bitt — noun

1. a short, sturdy post on a ship's deck or at a dock, around which ropes are wound

1.nounC1
Definition

a short, sturdy post on a ship's deck or at a dock, around which ropes are wound to keep a boat from drifting away

Example

The sailor wrapped the thick rope around the bitt on the foredeck.

collocation: wrap around a bitt

Each bitt on the dock can hold the mooring lines of a large fishing boat.

Common collocations
  • mooring bitt
  • tie to a bitt
  • wrap around a bitt
  • bitt on the deck
  • bitt on the wharf
Synonyms
  • bollard

    bollard is broader — used for any short post on a dock or street; bitt is specifically a deck or dock post for mooring ropes

  • cleat

    a cleat has two projecting ends shaped like an anvil and is smaller; a bitt is a single thick post

  • mooring post

    a general term for any post used to secure a boat; bitt is the more precise nautical term

Usage Note

This term belongs to nautical vocabulary and is rarely used outside of shipping or boating contexts.

bitt — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four terms describe posts used to secure boats, but they differ in shape and location. A 'bitt' is a short, stout post on a ship's deck or a dock, used specifically for winding mooring ropes around. A 'bollard' is a wider, often shorter post on a wharf that ropes loop over — it is more commonly seen in civilian docks and harbours. A 'cleat' has two projecting arms shaped like a capital letter T or an anvil, making it smaller and better suited for tying off lines quickly on small boats. A 'piling' is a long, thick beam driven into the sea bed or riverbed, serving as a structural support for a pier rather than a rope-fastening post. Example: 'The deckhand wrapped the line twice around the bitt and pulled it tight.' Compare: 'He looped the rope over the bollard on the dock.'

bollard ↗cleat ↗mooring postpiling ↗

Etymology

DutchEnglish

The word 'bitt' entered English from the Dutch 'beting', which referred to a short post used for securing ropes on a ship. It may also be linked to the idea of 'biting' or gripping the rope, since the post holds the line firmly in place. The term has been used in nautical English since the 1600s.

First known use

1593

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb