Bights

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /baɪts/

Definitions

1. A bend or curve in a geographical feature such as a coastline or river that creates a sheltered area
2. A recess along a shoreline that provides calm waters, often used for anchoring boats
3. A concave geographical feature, typically found in coastal regions, that offers protection from waves and storms

Etymology: The surprise here is that "bight" and "bought" are the same word. "Bight" descends from Old English "byht," meaning a bend, angle or corner, and it was applied to bays and curves of the shore. The sense of a curved inlet had already taken hold by the time the word was written in Middle English, where spellings such as "bight," "byȝt" and "bought" all appear for the same thing. The spelling "bought" for the shore sense has since disappeared, leaving the shared origin hidden. The root is a verb meaning "to bend." It comes from a Proto-Germanic form, "beuganą," which is also the ancestor of English "bow," so a bight is literally a place where the land or water bends. Its relatives in neighbouring languages keep the same watery sense: Dutch "bocht," German "Bucht" and West Frisian "bocht" all mean a bay or gulf.

Synonyms: bends, curves