Mercator

American  

[mer-kay-ter, mer-kah-tawr] / mərˈkeɪ tər, mɛrˈkɑ tɔr /

noun

1. Gerhardus Gerhard Kremer, 1512–94, Flemish cartographer and geographer.

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adjective

1. noting, pertaining to, or according to the principles of a Mercator projection.

   a Mercator chart.

Mercator British  

/ mɜːˈkeɪtə /

noun

1. Gerardus (dʒəˈrɑːdəs). Latinized name of Gerhard Kremer. 1512–94, Flemish cartographer and mathematician

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Mercator Scientific  

/ mər-kā′tər /

1. Flemish cartographer who in 1568 developed the Mercator projection. In 1585 he began work on a book of maps of Europe, a project that was later completed by his son and published in 1595. As a result of the drawing of the Greek titan Atlas carrying the globe on his shoulders on the book's cover, the term “atlas” was subsequently applied to any book of maps.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Mercator

It turns out that it’s difficult to squish a sphere into a flat rectangle without some disfigurement, but the Mercator errors have finally led to pushback.

From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2026

To keep those angles correct on a flat map, Mercator had to stretch the grid lines wider as they moved away from the equator toward the poles.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

It urges member states to use the new map in place of the traditional Mercator projection, which was designed for maritime navigation by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

“If the issue is discussed at all, it would more likely happen behind closed doors,” said Eva Seiwert, a senior analyst with Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

I angle toward a Mercator craft bobbing mid-river, its oars at rest.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir