pelorus

[puh-lawr-uh s, -lohr-]

noun, plural pe·lo·rus·es. Navigation.

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

Origin of pelorus

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

Also called dumb compass.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for pelorus

Historical Examples of pelorus

In taking a bearing by pelorus, two facts must be kept in mind.
Lectures in Navigation
Ernest Gallaudet Draper
These bearings will be secured in the best way by the use of your pelorus.
Lectures in Navigation
Ernest Gallaudet Draper
He became famous and popular, and was known as "Pelorus Jack."
More Science From an Easy Chair
Sir E. Ray (Edwin Ray) Lankester
"The Pelorus will send a boat as soon as we've anchored," he told them.
Creatures of the Abyss
Murray Leinster
And maybe you should tell them about the Pelorus and the bathyscaphe.
Creatures of the Abyss
Murray Leinster

British Dictionary definitions for pelorus

pelorus

noun plural -ruses

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

Word Origin for pelorus

of uncertain origin, perhaps from Latin Pelōrus a dangerous Sicilian promontory

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012