portolano

[pawr-tl-ah-noh, pohr-]

noun, plural por·to·la·nos, por·to·la·ni

[pawr-tl-ah-nee, pohr-] /ˌpɔr tlˈɑ ni, ˌpoʊr-/.

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

1855–60; < Italian: shipmaster's guidebook; earlier, harbor master < Medieval Latin portulānus. See port¹, -ule, -an

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 of portolani

This is the most remarkable of all the Portolani of the fourteenth century.
The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea
Gomes Eannes de Azurara
Strictly scientific map-making begins with the Mediterranean portolani.
The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea
Gomes Eannes de Azurara
In the fourteenth century the map of Edrisi was superseded by the new Italian plans and coast-charts, or Portolani.
Prince Henry the Navigator, the Hero of Portugal and of Modern Discovery, 1394-1460 A.D.
C. Raymond Beazley