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bitt (bĭt) Nautical
Share:
n.
A vertical post, usually one of a pair, set on the deck of a ship and used to secure ropes or cables.
tr.v. bitt·ed, bitt·ing, bitts
To wind (a cable) around a bitt.
[Perhaps of Dutch or Low German origin; akin to Old Norse biti, crossbeam.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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