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-/.
  1. 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

1
1855–60; <Italian: shipmaster's guidebook; earlier, harbor master <Medieval Latin portulānus.See port1, -ule, -an

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use portolano in a sentence