southwest by south
1
7.4
- noun
:
suroeste por el sur
- Can you point southwest by south on the map?
Examples
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During our navigation, we adjusted the compass to southwest by south for the best route.
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The ship was sailing at a heading of southwest by south to avoid the rocks.
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He set his course southwest by south using the compass and map.
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The ship was heading southwest by south to avoid the crowded shipping lanes.
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The storm approached from southwest by south, bringing heavy rain to the region.
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The ship sailed towards southwest by south during the storm.
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To reach our destination, we needed to head southwest by south for several miles.
Synonyms
A compass direction slightly south of southwest
Antonyms
- Specialized
1
6.7
A compass direction slightly north of northeast, about 34 degrees from east
Surface Forms
Morphology
A learner who knows 'southwest' and 'south' can infer this refers to a compass direction a little more toward south than southwest (i.e. slightly south of southwest), so the general directional meaning is recoverable. However, the specialized use of 'by' in traditional compass-point nomenclature and the precise one-point/degree specification are conventional and technical rather than derivable from everyday meanings, so full meaning is not wholly predictable.
Etymology
Southwest by south comes from old sailors and map makers who divided the compass into many small steps between south and west. It means the direction one 'point' south of southwest, so saying southwest by south gives the exact 'direction' to follow.