bitts

English
Mooring bitts on board SS Shieldhall, a preserved steamship.

Etymology

The word is probably Scandinavian, and the English form a corruption or contraction. Compare Swedish beting and Danish beding.

Noun

bitts pl (plural only)

  1. (nautical, plural only) A frame composed of two strong oak timbers (bitt-heads) fixed vertically in the fore part of a ship, bolted to the deck beams to which are secured the cables when the ship rides to anchor

Derived terms
Derived terms
  • bitt the cable
  • carrick-bitts
  • fore-brace bitts
  • gallows-bitts
  • jear-bitts
  • paul-bitts or pawl-bitts
  • riding-bitts
  • topsail-sheet bitts
  • winch-bitts
  • windlass-bitts

References
  • An etymological dictionary of the English language, p. 65

Luxembourgish

Verb

bitts

  1. second-person singular present indicative of bidden
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