portolano
[ pawr-tl-ah-noh, pohr- ]
/ ˌpɔr tlˈɑ noʊ, ˌpoʊr- /
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.
Also called
rutter.
Words nearby portolano
Example sentences from the Web for 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of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea |Gomes Eannes de AzuraraIn the fourteenth century the map of Edrisi was superseded by the new Italian plans and coast-charts, or Portolani.
Strictly scientific map-making begins with the Mediterranean portolani.
The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea |Gomes Eannes de Azurara