sheepshank

Originally sheepshank knot or sheepshanks knot, from sheep +‎ shank (“part of the leg between the knee and ankle”);^[1] the connection between the knot and a sheep’s leg is unclear.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈʃiːpʃæŋk/

• Audio (Received Pronunciation):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈʃipˌʃæŋk/
• Hyphenation: sheep‧shank

sheepshank (plural sheepshanks)

1. (nautical) A type of knot which is useful for shortening a rope or taking up slack without cutting it.

• catshank
• dogshank

sheepshank (third-person singular simple present sheepshanks, present participle sheepshanking, simple past and past participle sheepshanked)

1. (transitive) To shorten (a rope) using a sheepshank knot.

•   sheepshank on Wikipedia.Wikipedia