bowline knot
1
7.3
- noun
- /ˈboʊlɪn nɑt/
- Specialized
:
nudo de bowline
- Before climbing, it's essential to use a bowline knot to ensure your harness is secured properly.
Examples
-
It's a bowline knot, to be exact.
-
"I haven't seen a bowline knot in years."
Fiction book (1995) -
I am going to teach you how to tie a bowline knot, so you can get your sorry asses down from a height, so I may then kick them!
-
To secure the sail to the boat, he tied a bowline knot at the end of the rope.
-
She learned to tie a bowline knot for her sailing lessons, as it creates a reliable loop.
Synonyms
4
8.2
A fixed loop at the end of a rope that does not slip or jam and is easy to untie
1
5.3
A fixed ring in a rope that does not slip or change size
How Secure
- Specialized
1
7.3
- Specialized
1
6.1
- Specialized
1
4.4
3
5.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'bowline' names a particular kind of knot and 'knot' gives the general category, so the phrase simply denotes that specific type of fastening. This follows a common noun+noun naming pattern and would be immediately understandable to a learner who knows both constituents, even if 'bowline' is somewhat specialized.
Etymology
The bowline knot may come from old sailors. One popular story says they tied a rope at the ship's bow, the front of the ship, and this line needed a knot that made a strong loop. Because the knot made a fixed loop that would not slip, it became known as 'bowline'.