harpoon log
- noun
- /hɑrˈpun lɔg/
- Archaic
:
bitácora de arpón
- Before GPS, sailors relied on instruments like the harpoon log to gauge their distance travelled.
Examples
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The captain used the harpoon log to estimate the ship's progress across the Atlantic.
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Maintenance of the harpoon log was essential for accurate navigation during long voyages.
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The captain checked the harpoon log for accuracy.
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Many sailors rely on a harpoon log to measure their journey.
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Before GPS, sailors relied on instruments like the harpoon log to gauge their distance travelled.
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The captain used the harpoon log to estimate the ship's progress across the Atlantic.
-
Maintenance of the harpoon log was essential for accurate navigation during long voyages.
Synonyms
24
9.7
A floating object on a knotted line used from a ship to measure speed
A cigar-shaped tool with spinning fins that measures a ship's speed through the water
A long round object with rotating fins that measures how fast a ship moves in water
Surface Forms
Morphology
harpoon + log
The compound is compositional: 'log' is the nautical measuring float and 'harpoon' specifies the type or device attached to that log, so the overall meaning (a log fitted with a harpoon-like registering device) is directly derivable from the constituents. This follows regular English noun-noun compounding patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Harpoon log gets its name from a simple sea tool: sailors tied a small spear-like piece called a harpoon to a line and let it trail behind the ship to turn a small wheel. By counting the turns on that log they could record how far the ship had sailed, so the name came to mean 'a device that registers the distance travelled'.