Whipping

To "whip", or one of several 'knots' found in rigging used to seal the end of a rope or splice, add strength, or to generally hold things together. Whipping should be at least equal in width to the diameter of the rope whipped.

Sailor's Whipping - The Most common form of whipping, which can be tied without a needle or merlin spike. This can produce a very neat end to a rope. It has also been used in the past as a form of 'lashing' to hold together wood joints.
An animation to tie this can be found here: Sailor's Whipping - Animated Knots by Grog

Sailmakers Whipping - A much more effective and secure form of whipping the end of a rope, however it is more difficult, requires more time and tools.
An animation and instructions can be found here: Sailmaker's Whipping - Animated Knots by Grog

West Country Whipping - One of the easiest forms of whipping to learn/teach. Usually used for a quick neat end to a rope. Will slowly fail over time, but since it is a succession of knots you can always fix it up before it completely fails.