Mercator

American  

[mer-key-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

Gilles Garric, polar oceanographer at French climate research institute Mercator Ocean Toulouse, said this winter was among the "top three" so far.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

The Mercator map is arguably the best for this purpose, because it straightens out spiraling rhumb lines, and that’s why it rose to dominance.

From Slate • Jan. 21, 2026

It’s been speculated, notably by MSNOW’s Chris Hayes, that Trump was looking at the Mercator Projection map that we probably all remember from our grade school geography textbooks.

From Salon • Jan. 18, 2026

They develop software specifically for use in the Arctic, along with virtual maps that portray the region more accurately than widely used Mercator projections, which distort polar distances.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025

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

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir