bitt

[bit]Nautical

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

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

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bitt

Historical Examples of bitt

A small silver coin of the West Indies, six of which make a bitt.
The Sailor's Word-Book
William Henry Smyth
The bitt for the bowsprit to be stepped in runs through the deck and into the keelson.
Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881
Various
The hawser had but just been loosened from the bitt when the drag of the waters began.
A Runaway Brig;
James Otis
Keep one turn round the bitt, and heave in on it when the painter slacks.
The Cruise of the Dazzler
Jack London
Bitt′ers, a liquid prepared from bitter herbs or roots, and used as a stomachic.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)
Various

British Dictionary definitions for bitt

bitt

noun

one of a pair of strong posts on the deck of a ship for securing mooring and other lines
another word for bollard (def. 1)

verb

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

Word Origin for bitt

C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse biti cross beam, Middle High German bizze wooden peg

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012