bowline
UK /ˈbəʊlɪn/ · US /ˈboʊlɪn/ noun
Forms bowlines
- noun (nautical) A rope fastened near the middle of the leech or perpendicular edge of the square sails.
- noun (nautical) A knot tied so as to produce an eye or loop in the end of a rope that will not slip or jam.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English bouline, bawelyne.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A rope fastened near the middle of the leech or perpendicular edge of the square sails, by subordinate ropes, called bridles, and used to keep the weather edge of the sail tight forward, when the ship is closehauled. Bowline bridles, the ropes by which the bowline is fastened to the leech of the sail.
Etymology [Cf. D. boelijn, Icel. böglïnabovline; properly the line attached to the shoulder or side of the sail. See Bow (of a ship), and Line.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “bowline”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details