knots

1. a tight cluster of people or thingsExamples: "a small knot of women listened to his sermon"; "the bird had a knot of feathers forming a crest"Synonyms: knot

2. any of various fastenings formed by looping and tying a rope (or cord) upon itself or to another rope or to another objectSynonyms: knot

3. a hard cross-grained round piece of wood in a board where a branch emergedExamples: "the saw buckled when it hit a knot"Synonyms: knot

4. something twisted and tight and swollenExamples: "their muscles stood out in knots"; "the old man's fists were two great gnarls"; "his stomach was in knots"Synonyms: gnarl, knot

5. a unit of length used in navigation; exactly 1,852 meters; historically based on the distance spanned by one minute of arc in latitudeSynonyms: air mile, international nautical mile, knot, mi, mile, naut mi, nautical mile

6. soft lump or unevenness in a yarn; either an imperfection or created by designSynonyms: burl, knot, slub