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Glite Dictionary
Turk's head

Turk's head

9.9
A braided decorative knot like a small turban used on handles
  • noun
  • /tɜrks hɛd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : nudo Turk's head
  • The sailor tied a Turk's head around his knife handle for a better grip.

Examples

  • Making a Turk's head knot requires patience and careful attention to detail.

  • The sailor tied a Turk's head knot on the rope.

  • She decorated the walking stick with a neat Turk's head at the top.

  • Can you show me how to make a Turk's head?

  • The sailor tied a Turk's head knot around the handle for a better grip.

  • For the boat's decorations, we used a beautiful Turk's head knot that resembled a small turban.

  • He proudly displayed his intricate Turk's head knot on the railing as part of his sailing gear.

Surface Forms

Turk's head singular
Turk's heads plural

Morphology

Turk's + head

The compound uses the possessive proper noun 'Turk's' plus 'head', so a learner who knows both words might infer a shape or style reference (e.g., resembling a Turk's head or turban), giving a partial clue. However, the specific technical meaning—an ornamental braided knot used in ropework—is a specialised, culture- and domain-specific term that a B1 learner would not reliably derive from the constituents alone.

Etymology

Turk's head may come from sailors who thought the braided, round knot looked like a small 'turban' on a head, so they called it Turk's head. That's why today Turk's head means that braided knot used for decoration or to give a better grip.