Rope Terminology

Abrasion Zone – The area of a rope that experiences repeated contact with rough surfaces, leading to wear.

Bend – The point where two ropes are joined together with a knot.

Bight – A simple U-shaped bend in the rope that does not cross over itself.

Breakpoint – The weakest spot in a rope where it is most likely to fail under stress.

Core (Kern) – The inner strands of a kernmantle rope that provide most of the rope’s strength.

Core Shot – A point of severe damage where the sheath is worn through, exposing the inner core. If you see a core shot in your rope, you need to replace it.  Your life may be at risk! If the core-shot is near the end of the rope, you could just simply cut that part off and have a shorter rope.  But be hesitant in re-using it as there may be other damage elsewhere that is visible or not. 

“Dress the Knot“ – a saying and procedure in which the proper arrangement of all the knot parts, which removing unnecessary kinks, twists, and slack, and all rope parts of the knot are touching.

Friction Hitch – A type of knot that tightens when loaded but slides when unweighted, such as a Prusik knot.

Fuzzy Rope – A rope with excessive wear on the sheath, causing fibers to fray outward.

Hard Spot – A stiff or compressed section in a rope, often caused by internal damage or excessive wear.

Hitch – A knot that secures a rope to another object, such as a post.

Knot – a “complication” of the rope that can be used for decorative purposes (such as a bowtie, or tie for a formal meeting, church, job interview, etc.) and practical purposes, such as rappelling, carrying a load, and tying-down objects.

Lay – The direction and pattern in which a rope’s fibers or strands are twisted.

Load Memory – The tendency of a rope to retain bends or kinks after being under tension.

Load Strand – The part of a rope bearing the most weight during use.

Loop – A fully enclosed circle or oval shape made by bending the rope.

“mm” – millimeter for short.  This refers to the size, as measured in millimeters, which is the thickness of the rope.  The bigger the number, the wider and weight (from more rope material) the rope will be.

Overwrap – When a rope crosses over itself, increasing friction and potential wear.

“Pass the Knot” – a saying in which a rappeller needs to do a bypass at a point of the rappel, such as at a bend (which means, that two ropes where joined together with a knot), and you need to use a technique to bypass that knot so that you can continue rappelling on that rope.  This technique requires much practice before doing it in a canyon with real life consequences as you dangle 100 feet up in there, hoping that you re-connect to the rope safely! 

Rope Diameter – The thickness of a rope, which affects its strength and handling.

Running End (Working End) – The free-moving end of the rope used to tie knots or make adjustments.

Sheath (Mantle) – The outer protective covering of a kernmantle rope, designed to protect the inner core.

Slack – The portion of the rope that is loose and not under tension.

Splice – A method of permanently joining two rope ends by weaving the fibers together.

Standing End – The fixed or anchored part of the rope that does not move while tying a knot.

Strands – The individual fiber bundles that are twisted together to make a rope.

Tail (Tag End) – The short leftover piece of rope extending beyond a knot.

Tensile Core – The inner fibers of a static rope designed to support heavy loads with minimal stretch.

Tensioned End – The section of rope actively holding weight or force.

Twist (Helix) – The natural spiral shape formed by fibers or strands of rope.

Underwrap – A rope segment that runs beneath another strand, reducing surface contact.

Whipping – A technique used to prevent a rope’s end from fraying by binding it with thread or tape.