Noun

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. Either of two species of small wading birds, the red knot (Calidris canutus) and the great knot (Calidris tenuirostris).
7. 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.

8. 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.

9. A group of people or things.
   • 1968, Bryce Walton, Harpoon Gunner, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, NY, (1968), page 20,

     He pushed through knots of whalemen grouped with their families and friends, and surrounded by piles of luggage.

Related terms

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

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

A knot is a method of fastening or securing linear material such as rope by tying or interweaving. It may consist of a length of one or several 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 area of mathematics known as knot theory.

Usage

There is a large variety of knots, each with properties that make it suitable for a range of tasks. Some knots are used to attach the rope (or other knotting material) to other objects such as another rope, cleat, ring, or stake. Some knots are used to bind or constrict objects. Decorative knots usually bind to themselves to produce attractive patterns. The ability to choose the right knot for the job is a core skill of knot-tying. However, if memory is limited, three of the most useful knots are the bowline, the sheet bend, and the clove hitch.