patent log

American  

[pat-nt lawg, log] / ˈpæt nt ˌlɔg, ˌlɒg /

noun

Nautical.

1. any of various devices for determining the speed of a ship by means of a vaned rotor streamed at the end of a logline upon which it exerts a torsion transmitted to a registering device on board.

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patent log British  

noun

1. nautical any of several mechanical devices for measuring the speed of a vessel and the distance travelled, consisting typically of a trailing rotor that registers its rotations on a meter Compare chip log

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Etymology

Origin of patent log

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

The mechanism of the patent log hummed and clicked more obtrusively.

From Alias the Lone Wolf by Vance, Louis Joseph

From time to time the indicator of the patent log, just beside him, rang its tiny bell.

From Vandover and the Brute by Norris, Frank

We had seen very little of the coast thus far: the current had rendered the patent log useless for measuring bases, and the weather was very unfavourable for astronomical observations.

From Narrative of the surveying voyages of His Majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle, between the years 1826 and 1836 Volume I. - Proceedings of the First Expedition, 1826-1830 by Fitzroy, Robert

They are provided with a patent log, but their captains, who are intelligent men, do not care much about a chronometer, as the distances to be run are comparatively short and are easily judged.

From A Voyage in the 'Sunbeam' Our Home on the Ocean for Eleven Months by Brassey, Annie

The average speed of the seven hours' steaming, as measured by patent log, was 19.28 knots.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 832, December 12, 1891 by Various