clove hitch

noun

a knot or hitch for fastening a rope to a spar or larger rope, consisting of two half hitches made in opposite directions, the two parts of the rope emerging also in opposite directions.

Origin of clove hitch

First recorded in 1760–70; see origin at clove³

Also called builder's knot.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for clove hitch

Historical Examples of clove hitch

Then take one of the bights formed by the clove-hitch and put it over the other.
The Seaman's Friend
Richard Henry Dana
Round turn, two half-hitches, and clove-hitch: These are very useful in securing the guys of a gin to the stakes, etc.
The Gunner's Examiner
Harold E. Cloke
Or, take a clove-hitch over the crown on each arm or fluke, stopping the end to its own part, or to the shank.
The Sailor's Word-Book
William Henry Smyth
Or, take a clove-hitch over the crown, stopping the end to its own part, or to the shank.
The Seaman's Friend
Richard Henry Dana
Take this silk rope, Gomez, and clove-hitch it well up the trunk.
Captain Brand of the "Centipede"
H. A. (Henry Augustus) Wise

British Dictionary definitions for clove hitch

clove hitch

noun

a knot or hitch used for securing a rope to a spar, post, or larger rope

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