rhumb

• POS: Noun

CIDE DICTIONARY

rhumb, n. [F. rumb, Sp. rumbo, or Pg. rumbo, rumo, probably fr. Gr. a magic wheel, a whirling motion, hence applied to a point of the compass. See Rhomb.].

 A line which crosses successive meridians at a constant angle; -- called also rhumb line, and loxodromic curve. See Loxodromic.  [1913 Webster]

To sail on a rhumb, to sail continuously on one course, following a rhumb line.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

rhumb, n. Naut.
1 any of the 32 points of the compass.
2 the angle between two successive compass-points.
3 (in full rhumb-line) a a line cutting all meridians at the same angle. b the line followed by a ship sailing in a fixed direction.

Etymology

F rumb prob. f. Du. ruim room, assoc. with L rhombus: see RHOMBUS

ROGET THESAURUS

rhumb

Direction

N direction, management, managery, government, gubernation, conduct, legislation, regulation, guidance, bossism, legislature, steerage, pilotage, reins, reins of government, helm, rudder, needle, compass, guiding star, load star, lode star, pole star, cynosure, supervision, superintendence, surveillance, oversight, eye of the master, control, charge, board of control, command, premiership, senatorship, director, chair, portfolio, statesmanship, statecraft, kingcraft, queencraft, ministry, ministration, administration, stewardship, proctorship, agency, director, directing, hegemonic, at the helm, at the head of, direction, bearing, course, vector, set, drift, tenor, tendency, incidence, bending, trending, dip, tack, aim, collimation, steering steerage, point of the compass, cardinal points, North East, South, West, N by E, ENE, NE by N, NE, rhumb, azimuth, line of collimation, line, path, road, range, quarter, line of march, alignment, allignment, air line, beeline, straight shoot, directed, directed towards, pointing towards, bound for, aligned, with alligned with, direct, straight, undeviating, unswerving, straightforward, North, Northern, Northerly, towards, on the road, on the high road to, en avant, versus, to, hither, thither, whither, directly, straight as an arrow, forwards as an arrow, point blank, in a bee line to, in a direct line to, as the crow flies, in a straight line to, in a bee line for, in a direct line for, in a straight line for, in a bee line with, in a direct line with, in a straight line with, in a line with, full tilt at, as the crow flies, before the wind, near the wind, close to the wind, against the wind, windwards, in the wind's eye, through, via, by way of, in all directions, in all manner of ways, quaquaversum, from the four winds, the shortest distance between two points is a stra.