What does bitt mean?
A bitt is one of a pair of stout upright posts, typically made of timber or steel, mounted on a ship's deck near the bow or stern for the purpose of securing heavy ropes. When a vessel moors alongside a quay or tows another craft, its cables and hawsers are wrapped in figure-eight turns around the bitts, whose combined strength takes the enormous loads involved without relying solely on a winch brake. The word functions almost exclusively in maritime language, appearing most naturally in the plural ('the bitts') and in set expressions such as 'to bitt down', meaning to fasten a line hard around the posts. Because bitts are pronounced identically to 'bit' and resemble the unrelated 'bight', they are easily confused with those words in speech and writing. Though obscure ashore, the bitt is a fundamental piece of deck hardware, and knowing the term gives insight into how seafarers handle the immense forces of anchoring, mooring, and towing.
One of a pair of strong vertical posts on a ship's deck, used for securing cables, hawsers, or mooring lines.
"The hawser was taken twice around the bitts and made fast."
Usually encountered in the plural, since the fittings normally work as a pair.
To secure or check a cable or rope by passing it around the bitts.
"Bitt down the chain before we ease the windlass."
Chiefly imperative in working usage, especially in the phrase 'to bitt down'.
The plural is the more common form, as bitts are installed in pairs on either side of the deck.
"The mooring lines were led forward to the bitts."
Sailors have trusted these two humble deck posts to stop ships weighing thousands of tonnes — all the holding power comes from turns of rope wrapped around them.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bitt
The word 'bitt' entered English as a nautical term in the early seventeenth century, when it appears in seamen's vocabulary describing the deck timbers used to secure a ship's cables. Its ultimate origin is uncertain; it has been suggested that it derives from an Old Norse word for a beam or crossbar, which would fit both the object's appearance and the maritime setting in which the English term first surfaced. Whatever its precise source, it became established in English through the practical language of sailing ships and has remained a specialist nautical term ever since.
Related word forms
How bitt is actually used
Strictly a nautical term, used mainly by sailors, dockworkers, and marine engineers; rare outside maritime contexts. The plural 'bitts' is common because the fittings usually occur in pairs. The verb form is chiefly found in the phrase 'to bitt down'.
Easily confused with bitt
A 'bit' is a small piece or portion (or part of a drill or bridle), whereas a 'bitt' is specifically a heavy deck fitting on a ship used for fastening cables.
A 'bight' is a bend or loop in a rope (or a curve of coastline), while a 'bitt' is the physical post on deck around which a rope may be turned.