geographical mile
- noun
- Archaic
:
milla geográfica
- One geographical mile equals 6,080 feet.
Examples
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A geographical mile is longer than a statute mile.
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During the 19th century, many maps used the geographical mile as the standard unit of distance.
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In old navigation charts, distances were often recorded in geographical miles rather than nautical miles.
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The geographical mile is now largely obsolete, replaced by international units.
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During the 19th century, many maps used the geographical mile as the standard unit of distance.
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In old navigation charts, distances were often recorded in geographical miles rather than nautical miles.
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One geographical mile is equivalent to 6,080 feet, which is longer than a statute mile.
Synonyms
An old measure of distance used at sea that equals 6,080 feet, about 1,853 metres
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a transparent adjective+noun composition: 'geographical' (relating to geography) modifies 'mile' (a unit of length), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a specific kind of mile used for geographic measurement. They may not know the exact length difference, but the overall meaning as a type of mile is directly derivable and follows common cross-linguistic patterns for such compounds.
Etymology
Geographical mile comes from old map makers and sailors who measured distance from the Earth itself: they chose a length along the equator, so the word geographical points to the Earth's surface and mile is the unit they used. So the geographical mile was a bit longer than a regular 'statute mile' and was used on maps and sea charts before modern international units.
