a
knot, made by weaving small
cords around a larger
rope or other
object in an ornamental pattern so that the
knot itself looks somewhat like a turban. A
Turk's-head
knot is used by sailors to decorate ropes and small objects such as handles or to weave the
loose fibers of the end of a
rope together so that they do not unravel. The
term Turk's-head came into
use in the early 1700s from its resemblance to a turban, a headdress worn by men in the
Middle East, including Turkey.