navigational instrument
1
4.1
- noun
- /ˌnævɪˈɡeɪʃənl ˈɪnstrəmənt/
- Specialized
:
instrumento de navegación
- An upgraded GPS is a vital navigational instrument for ensuring accurate position tracking.
Examples
-
Radiation from the system interfered with the navigational instruments and communication of ships within a wide radius.
Fiction book (1999) -
It would certainly impair many navigational instruments.
Fiction book (1990) -
2) The fifth part of the profit will pay for navigational instruments to be imported from Nuremberg.
Fiction book (2002) -
Picard tears open the box and pulls out a 19th-century sextant—an old-fashioned nautical navigational instrument.
Fiction book (1994) -
Early navigational instruments like the compass helped sailors determine their direction at sea.
-
The pilot relied on modern navigational instruments to safely navigate through the fog.
Synonyms
62
1.6
A tool that shows direction with a needle pointing north
1
7.2
A machine that uses its own sensors to find a moving object's position and speed without outside signals
A device that shows direction by receiving radio signals
A machine that automatically controls the path of a vehicle like a missile or aircraft
How Accurate
- Specialized
205
2.6
- Specialized
1
8.8
- Specialized
1
4.1
- Specialized
4
9.5
62
1.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from 'navigational' (related to navigation) combined with 'instrument' (a tool or device). This adjective+noun composition follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer it denotes a device used for navigation.
Etymology
The phrase navigational instrument comes from the simple idea of a tool that helps someone navigate, for example a compass pointing north or a sailor using the stars. That's why it now means 'a device to find position, direction, or course'.