portolano
[pawr-tl-ah-noh, pohr-]
- a descriptive atlas of the Middle Ages, giving sailing directions and providing charts showing rhumb lines and the location of ports and various coastal features.
Origin of portolano
Also called rutter.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for portolani
Historical Examples
This is the most remarkable of all the Portolani of the fourteenth century.
The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of GuineaGomes Eannes de Azurara
Strictly scientific map-making begins with the Mediterranean portolani.
The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of GuineaGomes Eannes de Azurara
In the fourteenth century the map of Edrisi was superseded by the new Italian plans and coast-charts, or Portolani.