(n.pl.) A frame of two strong timbers fixed perpendicularly in the fore part of a ship, on which to fasten the cables as the ship rides at anchor or in warping. Other bitts are used for belaying (belaying bitts), for sustaining the windlass (carrick bitts, winch bitts or windlass bitts), to hold the pawls of the windlass (pawl bitts) etc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). Bitts. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/bitts/definitions/1980653 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "Bitts" http://smartdefine.org/bitts/definitions/1980653 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, Bitts, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/bitts/definitions/1980653>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "Bitts" 27 May 2011. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/bitts/definitions/1980653> |