kettle stitch

noun Bookbinding.

(in handsewing) a knot tied in the thread that links one section to the next.

Origin of kettle stitch

1810–20; part translation of German Kettelstich, equivalent to Kettel little chain (diminutive of Kette chain; Old High German ketīna < Latin catēna) + Stich stitch; cf. chain

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

Examples from the Web for kettle stitch

Historical Examples of kettle stitch

This is called the kettle-stitch, a word said to be a corruption of either catch-up stitch or chain stitch.
Notes on Bookbinding for Libraries
John Cotton Dana