(n.) A rope fastened near the middle of the leech or perpendicular edge of the square sails, by subordinate ropes, called bridles, and used to keep the weather edge of the sail tight forward, when the ship is closehauled.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). bowline. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/bowline/definitions/1981959 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "bowline" http://smartdefine.org/bowline/definitions/1981959 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, bowline, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/bowline/definitions/1981959>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "bowline" 27 May 2011. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/bowline/definitions/1981959> |