portolan

noun

portolan

noun

UK /ˈpɔːtələn/

Etymology From French portulan, from Italian portolano.

1

Nautical, Transport Historical A chart of European navigable waters based on descriptions of coasts.

Portolans are as old as the European mariner's magnetic compass, and for about two centuries the two depended on each other for the growth and safe passage of Mediterranean trade.2012, Simon Garfield, On the Map, Profile Books, page 110:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.