Jackspeak of the Royal Canadian Navy

Knot

Speed in nautical miles per hour. Originally speed was measured by paying out a line from the stern of a moving boat; the line had a knot every 47 feet 3 inches (1
4.40 m), and the number of knots passed out in 30 seconds gave the speed through the water in nautical miles per hour. Sometimes "knots" is mistakenly stated as "knots per hour," which is incorrect.

Added: 2014-11-01 Last modified: 2014-11-01