Bight (geography)

In geography, a bight (/baɪt/) is a concave bend or curvature in a coastline, river or other geographical feature,[1] or it may refer to a very open bay formed by such a feature.[2] Such bays are typically broad, open, shallow and only slightly recessed.[3]

A stretch of coastline of the Great Australian Bight

Description

Bights are distinguished from sounds, in that sounds are much deeper. Traditionally, explorers defined a bight as a bay that could be sailed out of on a single tack in a square-rigged sailing vessel, regardless of the direction of the wind (typically meaning the apex of the bight is less than 25 degrees from the edges).

The term is derived from Old English byht ("bend, angle, corner; bay, bight") with German Bucht and Danish bugt as cognates, both meaning "bay". Bight is not etymologically related to "bite" (Old English bītan).

Notable examples

References
  1. "Definition of bight in English". Oxford Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on August 24, 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  2. "bight". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  3. "What is a bight?". National Ocean Service. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
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