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Glite Dictionary
bowline

bowline

4 8.2
A fixed loop at the end of a rope that does not slip or jam and is easy to untie
  • noun
  • /ˈboʊlɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : nudo de lazo
  • The sailor demonstrated how to tie a bowline to create a fixed loop at the end of the rope.
  • bowline knot
  • tie a bowline
  • untie a bowline

A simple overhand knot is just the trefoil, the bowline knot.

Examples

  • It's a bowline knot, to be exact.

    The Raven (2012)

  • "I haven't seen a bowline knot in years."

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Charlie, let go of the bowline.

    The Mosquito Coast (1986)

  • All right, cast off the bowline.

    Jaws 2 (1978)

  • Let go of your bowline.

    Blood Alley (1955)

  • All pull at the bowline!

    The Vikings (1958)

  • Tie it in a bowline knot, you know it?

    Mud (2013)

  • Go ahead, untie the bowline.

    Jaws 2 (1978)

  • He hauled in the cable, made a bowline in it, and flung the loop onto the bitts.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • I jumped out and splashed ashore, hauling on the bowline, and dragged the boat up the gravel shingle until it rested on its oak skid.

    Fiction book (1991)

Synonyms

bowline knot
vsbowline
  • Specialized
1 7.3

A way of tying a rope to make a fixed loop that will not slip or jam

is the shorter name that omits the explicit word knot
loop knot
vsbowline
1 5.3

A fixed ring in a rope that does not slip or change size

is a specific example within that broader class of loop-forming knots

Compounds

bowline knot
  • Specialized
1 7.3

A way of tying a rope to make a fixed loop that will not slip or jam

How Secure

bowline
  • Specialized
4 8.2
fisherman's knot
  • Specialized
1 6.1
figure eight
  • Specialized
5.0
slipknot
3 5.5

Surface Forms

bowline singular
bowlines plural

Morphology

bowline = bow + line (semi-transparent) = bow + line

Formed from 'bow' + 'line' (a rope at the bow), but the sense 'a fixed-loop knot' is named after the rope and is not directly inferable by a general learner.

Etymology

The word bowline comes from the simple words bow and line, where bow means 'front of a ship' and line means 'rope'. So a bowline is a rope knot tied to make a fixed loop at the bow to hold a boat, and that is why it holds firm but is easy to untie.