A post or pair of posts on a ship where ropes and cables are wrapped to secure sails or anchor the vessel.
From Dutch 'beten' or Old Norse 'biti' meaning 'to bite' or 'grip.' The nautical use evolved because the posts 'grip' or hold the ship's cables in place—the biting action that holds fast.
Ships literally depend on bitts working correctly—if a rope slips off during a storm, a ship could break free from its anchor and crash; sailors could literally feel the difference between a secure bitt and a failing one through the rope tension.
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