Bight (geography)
In geography, a bight is a bend or curve in a coastline, river, or other geographical feature.[1] It typically indicates a large, open bay, often only slightly receding.[2] It is distinguished from a sound by being shallower. Traditionally, explorers defined a bight as a bay that could be sailed out of on a single tack in a square-rigged sailing vessel, regardless of the direction of the wind (typically meaning the apex of the bight is less than 25 degrees from the edges).
The term is derived from Old English byht (“bend, angle, corner; bay, bight”) and is not etymologically related to "bite" (Old English bītan).
Notable bights
- Bay of Campeche
- Bay of Plenty
- Bight of Benin
- Bight of Biafra or Bight of Bonny
- Canterbury Bight
- Flemish Bight
- German Bight or Heligoland Bight
- Great Australian Bight
- McKenzie Bight
- Mecklenburg Bight
- Mid-Atlantic Bight
- New York Bight
- Cameron Sound
- North Taranaki Bight
- Robson Bight
- Santa Monica Bay
- South Taranaki Bight
- Southern Bight
- Southern California Bight
- Trinity Bight, Newfoundland and Labrador
References
- "Definition of bight in English". Oxford Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- "What is a bight?". National Ocean Service. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
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