rhumb line

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rhumb line

The path of a ship that maintains a fixed compass direction, shown on a map as a line crossing all meridians at the same angle. Also called loxodrome.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

rhumb line

1. (Mathematics) an imaginary line on the surface of a sphere, such as the earth, that intersects all meridians at the same angle

2. (Navigation) the course navigated by a vessel or aircraft that maintains a uniform compass heading

Often shortened to: rhumb

[C16: from Old Spanish rumbo, apparently from Middle Dutch ruum space, ship's hold, but also influenced by Latin rhombus]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

rhumb′ line`

the path of a ship that maintains a constant compass direction.

[1660–70]

rhumb line

- A line on a sphere that cuts all meridians at the same angle; the path taken by a ship or plane that maintains a constant compass direction.

See also related terms for sphere.

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Noun

rhumb line - a line on a sphere that cuts all meridians at the same angle; the path taken by a ship or plane that maintains a constant compass direction

loxodrome, rhumb

line - a spatial location defined by a real or imaginary unidimensional extent

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References in periodicals archive ?

Using two big charts (now withdrawn) of the NSW and Tasmanian coast, I draw the rhumb line. (I then ignore it, as it's simply a reference, not a fixation.)

Secrets to being a crack offshore navigator

* Rhumb line (loxodrome)--the straight line of constant bearing.

The Australian hydrographic service--charting Australia, the continent encircled by sea

As you would expect, a magenta course rhumb line is displayed on the map.

FlightPro For Android: Intuitive, Data-Rich: we think the FlightPro for android is one of the most straightforward and intuitive apps we've used. don't expect an iOS version any time soon

In particular, the flow of the geodesics and the rhumb line looks different depending on the method of the projections given by the strict formulae.

On geometric properties of spherical conics and generalization of [pi] in navigation and mapping

To use it, a pilot basically ignores the direct-to rhumb line course, as well as the great-circle, and bases his or her planning on the position of low- and high-pressure systems.

Not so fast: if you think you have a headwind more often than a tailwind, that's because you do. Understanding the reasons might make it all easier to accept

First off there's an album called The Rhumb Line from Ra Ra Riot who I was lucky enough to catch on their home turf at New York's Bowry Ballroom earlier this year.

sound bites; music matters visual arts

Seals and dolphins played around the boat as it headed south, going slightly outside the rhumb line (the direct compass course or line to the finish in Ensenada) to try and avoid kelp and seek fresh wind.

Down Mexico way. (Sports & Recreation)

This meant that the ship's course no longer had to coincide exactly with its direction (its rhumb line).