noun
- a navigational instrument used on ships to take bearings, consisting of a compass card with sighting vanes
Usage: nautical
Examples
- The navigator used the pelorus to determine the ship’s position relative to the lighthouse.
- Before GPS, sailors relied on instruments like the pelorus for accurate navigation.
- The pelorus was mounted on the bridge wing for clear sightlines.
- She aligned the pelorus with the distant landmark to take a bearing.
- The ship’s pelorus helped the crew plot their course through the narrow strait.
- Maritime academies still teach students how to use a pelorus for celestial navigation.