Lay
How tightly the strands of a twisted rope are laid around each other; a tight lay makes a firmer rope, a loose lay a more flexible one.
Shibari Study’s glossary uses lay for how tightly a rope’s strands are twisted, measured as the number of turns over a set distance: a tight lay gives a stiffer rope, while a loose lay is more flexible but its strands can separate. In general rope terminology a laid, or twisted, rope is held together by twisting its parts in alternating directions; a three-strand rope is called hawser-laid, a four-strand rope shroud-laid, and the direction of twist is marked S or Z (Wikipedia). Wikipedia also notes that laid rope partly untwists under load, which can make it spin, stretch or kink.