Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bitts

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.37 in modern English

Syllables
bitts
IPA
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A frame composed of two strong oak timbers (bitt-heads) fixed vertically in the fore part of a ship, bolted to the deck beams to which are secured the cables when the ship rides to anchor

Etymology

From Middle English, probably of Low German or North Germanic origin, and the English form a corruption or contraction, from Old Norse biti, probably ultimately from a variant of Proto-Germanic *bitiz. Compare Swedish beting and Danish beding.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: -, biti, *bitiz

Derived Forms

bitter

Phrases

bitter end bitt-heads bitt-pins bitt-stopper bitt the cable carrick-bitts fore-brace bitts gallows-bitts

Questions

What does bitts mean?
A frame composed of two strong oak timbers (bitt-heads) fixed vertically in the fore part of a ship, bolted to the deck beams to which are secured the cables when the ship rides to anchor
Where does bitts come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce bitts

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bitts”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “bitts”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “bitts” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.