northwest by west
- noun
- Specialized
:
noroeste por oeste
- The ship set a course for northwest by west to avoid the storm.
Examples
-
He checked the map and pointed northwest by west with his compass.
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We walked steadily in a northwest by west direction across the open field.
-
The ship sailed towards northwest by west.
-
Can you point me northwest by west on the map?
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The captain adjusted the sails to head northwest by west for better navigation.
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To find the hidden treasure, we need to walk northwest by west from this tree.
-
He instructed the team to steer the boat northwest by west to reach the designated marker.
Synonyms
2
2.5
A compass direction halfway between west and northwest
1
4.1
A compass point halfway between west and northwest
Antonyms
A compass direction that is a little east of southeast at about 124 degrees from north
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase clearly combines compass words 'northwest' and 'west' with the linking 'by', so a learner can infer it denotes a direction slightly west of northwest. However, the precise convention ('by' indicating one compass point toward the second term and the exact bearing 292.5°) is technical nautical terminology and not fully predictable to an average B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
Northwest by west comes from old sailors who split the compass circle into many small points; it names the point one small step west of northwest, so it means a precise 'direction' on a map toward west.