What does buntline mean?
A buntline is one of the ropes of a square-rigged sailing vessel, running from the lower edge — or foot — of a square sail up to its yard. When sailors needed to furl a sail, they would slacken the sheets and then haul on the buntlines, drawing the body of the canvas upward so it could be bundled and secured along the yard. Together with clewlines, buntlines made it possible for a small crew to handle vast areas of sail quickly, often under difficult weather conditions. The word is firmly rooted in the technical language of seafaring and appears chiefly in maritime history, sailing manuals, and fiction set in the age of sail. It also lives on in knot-tying through the buntline hitch, a compact, secure knot originally used to fasten lines to the foot of a sail and still valued today by campers, boaters, and climbers. For readers of nautical literature, knowing the term helps bring descriptions of working tall ships vividly to life.
A rope attached to the foot of a square sail, used with others to haul the middle of the sail up toward the yard when furling it.
"As the wind rose, the watch scrambled aloft to haul the buntlines and furl the topsail."
Usually encountered in the plural when describing actual rigging work, since several buntlines serve each sail.
Used attributively in the name of knots associated with sailing rigging, most commonly the buntline hitch, a secure binding knot.
"She tied the tarp down with a buntline hitch, trusting a knot that has held fast since the days of tall ships."
The plural is standard and common, since each square sail typically has more than one buntline.
"The crew let go the sheets and hauled aft on the buntlines to furl the course."
Sailors hauling the buntlines could gather an enormous canvas sail in seconds — and one of the knots they relied on, the buntline hitch, is still trusted by climbers today.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of buntline
Buntline is a compound of 'bunt' — a nautical term for the middle part of a square sail — and 'line', the general sailor's word for a rope. Both elements are English in origin, with 'bunt' attested in maritime use from around the seventeenth century, though its deeper origins are uncertain. The word arose within the specialized vocabulary of square-rigged ships, alongside related rigging terms such as clewline and downhaul.
How buntline is actually used
Buntline belongs to the technical vocabulary of square-rigged sailing ships and appears mainly in maritime contexts, historical writing about the age of sail, and knot-tying literature. It is not used in everyday speech outside these domains. In modern usage it survives most commonly in the fixed term 'buntline hitch.'
Easily confused with buntline
A bounty is a reward or payment offered for something such as capturing a criminal, whereas a buntline is a rope on a square sailing ship.