Spunyarn

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Loosely twisted yarn made from fibers, used by sailors for small ropework, seizings and mending rigging
2. A thin, lightly twisted strand of fiber that mariners employ for binding, serving and tying knots on vessels
3. Fibrous yarn twisted together loosely, traditionally used aboard ships for lashings, sennit and other rope tasks

Etymology: Spunyarn is a nautical term for the loosely twisted yarn used in ropework, from the verb "spin" and "yarn," meaning thread or spun fibre. Its most striking feature is the sailor's custom it grew out of: spunyarn was traditionally made by unravelling old rope and re-twisting the strands, so the material was recycled from worn-out cordage that the crew had no further use for. The word's first sense is literal rather than figurative. In the age of sail, sailors needed thin, flexible twine for seizings, serving and small repairs, and spunyarn filled that role. The compound is transparent in form, combining "spun," the past participle of "spin," with "yarn," an Old English word for spun thread, and it reflects a trade in which every ship spun its own supplies at sea.