pelorus

American  

[puh-lawr-uhs, -lohr-] / pəˈlɔr əs, -ˈloʊr- /

noun

Navigation.

• peloruses
  plural

1. a device for measuring in degrees the relative bearings of observed objects.

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pelorus British  

/ pɪˈlɔːrəs /

noun

1. a sighting device used in conjunction with a magnetic compass or a gyrocompass for measuring the relative bearings of observed points

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• peloruses
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of pelorus

1850–55; perhaps < Latin Pelōrus, now Faro in Sicily, a cape which requires skill in navigation

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pelorus

"Better use the pelorus and be careful about West Chop's bearing after we pass her, Mr. Bangs," Captain Mayo warned his first mate.

From Blow The Man Down A Romance Of The Coast - 1916 by Holman Day

The easiest and most accurate way to find the error of your compass is, first, to find the bearing of the sun by your pelorus.

From Lectures in Navigation by Ernest Gallaudet Draper

Zircon took sightings with the pelorus, then calculated his readings.

From The Pirates of Shan by Harold L. (Harold Leland) Goodwin

In other words, if the ship is heading NW, the pelorus must be set with the NW point on the lubber line when the bearing is taken of any object.

From Lectures in Navigation by Ernest Gallaudet Draper

For that reason, it is wise to steam the ship completely around, steadying on every fifteen degrees by pelorus to determine and keep a record of remaining errors.

From Lectures in Navigation by Ernest Gallaudet Draper

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