cross-staff
an instrument for measuring the angle of elevation of heavenly bodies, consisting of a calibrated staff with another shorter staff perpendicular to and sliding on it.
Origin of cross-staff
1- Also called forestaff, Jacob's staff.
Words Nearby cross-staff
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cross-staff in a sentence
Iacobs staffean instrument formerly used for measuring the altitude of the sun; a cross-staff.
The Fatal Dowry | Philip MassingerAbove, it has the small arc of the Davis quadrant with the sliding rod of the cross-staff below.
Old-Time Nautical Instruments | John RobinsonBut some kind of a dratted cross-current ketched me and I'm sailin' out to sea, I finds, without compass or cross-staff.
Blackbeard: Buccaneer | Ralph D. PaineHe rubbed his eyes, looked again, adjusting his observation by a cross-staff which had been placed so as to bear upon the point.
The Antiquary, Complete | Sir Walter ScottA man upon the frame-work controls this wheel, guided by a sight on the frame, and a cross-staff at the end of the field.
Farm drainage | Henry Flagg French
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