Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
📊 A graph maker 🗺️ A navigation device
chartplotter

chartplotter

1 6.7
An electronic device that shows sea maps and helps a boat find its way
  • noun
  • /ˈtʃɑrtˌplɑtər/
  • Specialized
: plotter náutico
  • GPS chartplotter
  • chartplotter and radar
  • chartplotter and radio

Examples

  • Here's a screenshot (pardon the blur, we were running at the time) of the program Derek Floyd uses as a hyper-accurate chartplotter.

    Blog text (11)

  • The captain relied on the chartplotter to navigate safely through the coastal waters.

  • With the new chartplotter installed on the boat, we easily kept track of our position at sea.

  • Before setting out on our journey, we programmed our chartplotter with the best course to follow.

Surface Forms

chartplotter singular
chartplotters plural

Morphology

chartplotter = chart + plotter (semi-transparent) = chart + plotter

While the components 'chart' + 'plotter' are clear, the specific sense as an electronic marine navigation device is a specialized, domain-specific meaning not deducible by general rules.

Etymology

Chartplotter combines chart ('sea map') and plotter ('one who marks a course' or 'draws a path'), so it describes an electronic device that shows nautical charts and helps mark your position and course at sea.