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.

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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 portolano

Historical Examples

A sea-chart—probably a portolano—is mentioned as early as the account of the Crusade of St. Louis, in 1270.
The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea
Gomes Eannes de Azurara