portolan
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See also: Portolan
English
Etymology
From French portulan, from Italian portolano.
Pronunciation
Noun
portolan (plural portolans)
- (historical, nautical) A chart of European navigable waters based on descriptions of coasts.
- 2012, Simon Garfield, On the Map, Profile Books, page 110:
- 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.