Noun

Singular knot

Plural knots

knot (plural knots)

1. A looping of a piece of string or of any other long, flexible material that cannot be untangled without passing one or both ends of the material through its loops.

   Climbers must make sure that all knots are both secure and of types that will not weaken the rope.

2. (of hair, etc) A tangled clump.

   The nurse was brushing knots from the protesting child's hair.

3. A maze-like pattern.
4. (mathematics) A closed curve that is an abstraction of a knot (in sense 1 above).
5. A difficult situation.

   I got into a knot when I inadvertently insulted the policeman.

6. (nautical) A unit of speed, equal to one nautical mile per hour.

   Cedric claimed his beat-up old yacht could make 20 knots, if he would just make a few repairs, but we figured he was pulling our leg.

7. Either of two species of small wading birds, the red knot (Calidris canutus) and the great knot (Calidris tenuirostris).
8. The whorl left in lumber by the base of a branch growing out of the tree's trunk.

   When preparing to tell stories at a campfire, I like to set aside a pile of pine logs with lots of knots, since they burn brighter and make dramatic pops and cracks.

9. Local swelling in a tissue area, especially skin, often due to injury.

   Jeremy had a knot on his head where he had bumped it on the bedframe.

Related terms

• get knotted
• Gordian knot
• granny knot
• knot theory
• knotty

• red knot
• reef knot
• slipknot
• unknot
• Windsor knot

A knot is a method for fastening or securing linear material such as rope by tying or interweaving. It may consist of a length of one or more segments of rope, string, webbing, twine, strap, or even chain interwoven such that the line can bind to itself or to some other object—the "load". Knots have been the subject of interest for their ancient origins, their common uses, and the mathematical implications of knot theory.

Usage

There are a large variety of knots and each knot has specific properties and suitability for a range of tasks. Some knots are well-adapted to attach to particular objects such as another rope, cleat, ring, or stake. Other knots are made to bind or constrict around an object. Decorative knots usually bind to themselves to produce attractive patterns. Choosing the correct knot for the job at hand is one of the most fundamental aspects of using knots well. However, if memory is limited, three of the most useful knots are the bowline, the sheet bend, and the clove hitch.