figure of eight
- noun
- Specialized
:
nudo de ocho
- The climber tied a figure of eight knot to secure his harness.
Examples
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Sailors often use a figure of eight to prevent ropes from slipping through blocks.
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The climber used a figure of eight knot for safety.
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Before abseiling, always check if your figure of eight is properly tightened.
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He tied a figure of eight to secure the sail.
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Before abseiling, always check if your figure of eight knot is properly tightened.
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The climber tied a strong figure of eight knot to secure his harness safely.
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Sailors often use a figure of eight to prevent lines from slipping through pulleys.
Synonyms
A knot tied near the rope end that stops it slipping through a hole and looks like the number eight
A way of tying the end of a rope to stop it slipping through a hole
How Secure
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a knot shaped like the number 8' is directly and compositionally derived from 'figure' (shape) + 'of' (linking ) + 'eight' (the numeral), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer it denotes a shape like the digit 8 applied to a knot. This noun-of-number construction is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish 'figura de ocho') and follows transparent composition patterns.
Etymology
The knot called figure of eight gets its name because the rope is tied so it makes the shape of the number 8, forming a thick stop that keeps the rope from slipping through a hole or pulley. That's why it means 'a knot shaped like the number eight'.