bitt 
(bĭt) Nautical
(bĭt) Nautical n.
A vertical post, usually one of a pair, set on the deck of a ship and used to secure ropes or cables.
tr.v. bitt·ed, bitt·ing, bitts
To wind (a cable) around a bitt.
[Perhaps of Dutch or Low German origin; akin to Old Norse biti, crossbeam.]