west by north
- noun
- Specialized
:
oeste-noroeste
- In navigation, west by north indicates a direction slightly north of due west.
Examples
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Helm, west by north.
-
West by north, sir.
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"West by north," he said without hesitation.
Fiction book (1992) -
The sailor adjusted the ship's course to west by north to avoid the storm.
-
To reach the lighthouse, we need to head west by north for about ten miles.
Synonyms
A compass direction slightly north of west
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase transparently combines the known cardinal points 'west' and 'north' with 'by' to indicate a direction slightly toward north from due west, so a learner could infer it denotes a direction somewhat north of west. However, the precise technical meaning (the nautical/compass convention of one point = 11°15') and the specialized 'X by Y' compass construction are domain-specific and not fully predictable for an average B1 learner, making it only partially transparent.
Etymology
West by north comes from old sea and map directions where people named small steps between the main compass points. It literally means just a little to the north of due west, so west by north is used to say 'a little north of west'.