patent log
- noun
- Archaic
:
log de patente
- The captain checked the patent log to determine the ship's velocity over the past hour.
Examples
-
Sailors preferred the patent log over older methods because it was more accurate.
-
A well-maintained patent log provides reliable speed measurements for navigation.
-
The patent log is essential for navigation.
-
Many ships use a patent log to measure their speed.
-
A well-maintained patent log provides reliable speed measurements for navigation.
-
The captain checked the patent log to determine the ship's velocity over the past hour.
-
Sailors preferred the patent log over older methods because it was more accurate.
Synonyms
24
9.7
A floating object on a knotted line used from a ship to measure speed
A long round object with rotating fins that measures how fast a ship moves in water
A device towed behind a ship that measures how fast it moves through the water
A tool pulled behind a ship to measure how far it travels
Surface Forms
Morphology
patent + log
The phrase is compositionally a noun phrase where 'patent' modifies 'log', so a learner who knows 'log' (a device for measuring a ship's speed) and 'patent' (as 'protected' or 'a particular design') can infer it denotes a specific kind of log/device. However, the exact shape and mechanical detail (cigar-shaped with rotary fins) are technical and not predictable from the constituents alone, making the expression only partially transparent to learners.
Etymology
The noun patent log comes from a small, cigar-shaped log sailors pulled behind a ship; its fins made it spin as the ship moved, and the spin was used to tell how fast they were going. That's why patent log means 'a device used to measure a ship's speed'.