portolan
See also: Portolan
English
editEtymology
editFrom French portulan, from Italian portolano.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editportolan (plural portolans)
- (historical, nautical) A chart of European navigable waters based on descriptions of coasts. [from 18th c.]
- 2012, Simon Garfield, On the Map, Profile Books, page 110:
- Portolans are as old as the European mariner's magnetic compass, and for about two centuries the two depended on each other for the growth and safe passage of Mediterranean trade.