bitt

American  

[bit] / bɪt /

noun

1. Also called bollard.  a strong post of wood or iron projecting, usually in pairs, above the deck of a ship, used for securing cables, lines for towing, etc.

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verb (used with object)

1. to wrap (a cable) around a bitt to secure it.

bitt British  

/ bɪt /

noun

1. one of a pair of strong posts on the deck of a ship for securing mooring and other lines

2. another word for bollard

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verb

1. (tr) to secure (a line) by means of a bitt

Etymology

Origin of bitt

Middle English, perhaps < Dutch or Low German; compare Dutch, Low German beting, in same sense, akin to Middle High German bizze wooden peg, Old Norse biti crossbeam

Example Sentences

The collection of facts under each story is called a ‘bitt.’

From Newsweek

Mount a horse without a saddle, but properly bitted, and then decide which is the more natural and easier seat; in one case you feel an appendage; in the other almost part of the horse.

From Project Gutenberg

Bitter end, that part of a cable which is abaft the bitts, and so within board, when the ship rides at anchor.

From Project Gutenberg

A special kind of skill is, however, needed in breaking, training, bitting and schooling horses for a game like polo, or for the evolutions of what is known as the haute �cole.

From Project Gutenberg

The tumult ceased, the colt submitted, And, like his ancestors, was bitted.

From Project Gutenberg