A lashing is an arrangement of rope, wire, or webbing with linking device used to secure and fasten two or more items together in a somewhat rigid manner.
It has been imagined that the first lashing made by humans was wrapping a few strips of bark around a stone to hold it to a tree branch to make an ax to hunt and build with.
[citation needed] In modern times, the same methods are used, but strips of bark and vines have been replaced with natural and synthetic fiber ropes.
Lashings are also used in pioneering, the art of creating structures such as bridges and towers, using ropes and wooden spars.
[3] The nautical term gammon means a round lashing of rope or iron hardware to attach a mast to a boat or ship.