bitts meaning: definition, etymology

bitts

noun

Etymology From Middle English, probably of Low German or North Germanic origin, and the English form a corruption or contraction, from Old Norse biti, probably ultimately from a variant of Proto-Germanic *bitiz. Compare Swedish beting and Danish beding.

Nautical, Transport 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: bitter, bitter end, bitt-heads, bitt-pins, bitt-stopper, bitt the cable, carrick-bitts, fore-brace bitts, gallows-bitts, jear-bitts, paul-bitts, pawl-bitts, riding-bitts, topsail-sheet bitts, winch-bitts, windlass-bitts