Page 17 - Derek E. Avery - The new encyclopedia of knots

figure 8.2

Bend: a knot which ties together the ends of two free ropes, or the action
of knotting two ropes together; one rope is said to be ‘bent to’ another;
see also buntline fisherman’s bend, carrick bend, double carrick bend,
double sheet bend, heaving line bend, hunter’s bend, sheet bend; for
fisherman’s bend, see bucket hitch.

Bight: the slack part of a rope, formed between either end and the

standing part, which is not entirely straight (figure 9); any loop or
curvature, to the maximum of a full circle. Any point within the curve is
said to be ‘in the bight’. If a knot is tied ‘on the bight’, the rope ends are
not required for the tying process.

figure 9