navigation
(nævɪˈgeɪʃən)
[a. F. navigation (14th c.), or ad. L. nāvigātiōn-em, n. of action f. nāvigāre to navigate.]
1. a. The action of navigating; the action or practice of passing on water, esp. the sea, in ships or other vessels; sailing; † rowing. Also const. of.
| 1533 Elyot Cast. Helthe (1539) 52 Navigation or rowyng nigh to the lande, in a calme water is expedient for them that haue dropsies. 1547 Boorde Brev. Health xxii, I can not away with water, nor waters by nauigacion. 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie i. xii. (Arb.) 44 The Gentiles prayed..for safe nauigation to Neptune. 1612 T. Taylor Comm. Titus iii. 3 The Earth was made for man and beast to liue vpon, the sea for fish and nauigation. 1673 Marvell Reh. Transp. ii. Wks. 1776 II. 368 If there were a dead calm always..there would be no navigation. 1724 Lond. Gaz. No. 6300/1 The Wind proving contrary.., [she] was forced to return..after about an Hour's Navigation. 1727–46 Thomson Summer 1767 The heaven-conducted prow Of navigation bold, that fearless braves The burning line. 1813 Wellington in Gurw. Desp. (1838) XI. 3 From what I have heard of the navigation of the river. 1835 Thirlwall Greece vi. I. 219 The approach of winter put a stop to all ordinary navigation. 1842 Penny Cycl. XXIV. 280/2 The navigation of the Thames..is kept up by locks and wears. |
b. inland navigation, communication by means of canals and navigable rivers.
| 1727 De Foe Eng. Tradesman (1732) II. ii. iv. 123 Madrid..has neither Sea-port or Inland Navigation, no Navigable River being near it. 1791 Mylne 1st Rep. Thames Nav., The Thames is..very capable of an improved inland navigation. 1861 Chambers's Encycl. II. 551/2 Shewing how canals might be..used for inland navigation, in countries whose surface was irregular. |
† c. A piece of seamanship.
Obs. rare—1.
| 1817 Jas. Mill Brit. India II. iv. iii. 101 He returned..by a very able navigation against a contrary monsoon. |
d. The action or practice of travelling through the air by means of aircraft; flying. More fully,
aerial navigation. ?
Obs.| 1804 [see aerial navigation s.v. aerial a. 5]. 1835 Mechanics' Mag. Aug. 290/1 The first experiment of this new system of aërial navigation will be made from London to Paris, and back again. 1870 tr. F. Marion's Wonderful Balloon Ascents ii. ix. 163 The idea of aerial navigation by means of an apparatus heavier than the atmosphere. 1910 Blackw. Mag. July 12/2 The safe navigation of the air. 1920 Act 10 & 11 Geo. V c. 80 §2 Limited to aircraft of any special description, or engaged in any special kind of navigation. |
2. a. The art or science of directing the movements of ships on the sea, including more especially the methods of determining a ship's position and course by the principles of geometry and nautical astronomy; seamanship.
| 1559 W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 3 They be wryters of Cosmographie, Geographie, Hydrographie, or Nauigation. 1588 Greene Pandosto (1607) 7 Franion..hauing some small skill in Nauigation, was well acquainted with the Ports. 1642 Howell For. Trav. (Arb.) 80 The most materiall and usefull parts of the Mathematiques, as the Art of Navigation and Fortification. 1696 Whiston Th. Earth iii. (1722) 267 'Tis evident and will be allow'd by Persons skill'd in Navigation. 1726 Swift Gulliver i. i, My Father now and then sending me small Sums of Money, I laid them out in learning Navigation. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1780) s.v., Every sea-officer is presumed to be furnished with books of navigation. 1836 Marryat Midsh. Easy xiv, A cruise at sea without knowledge of navigation was a more nervous thing than he had contemplated. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 215 Safety at sea is the good of navigation. |
b. The art or science of directing the movements of aircraft or spacecraft,
esp. in regard to a craft's position and course. More fully,
aerial navigation (or
air navigation) or
celestial navigation.
| 1922 Encycl. Brit. XXX. 14/1 Aerial navigation, as distinct from piloting with the ground in view, developed tardily everywhere, though first in Britain. 1931 Times 19 Feb. 17/1 A haze..limited visibility to two miles. Navigation was undoubtedly difficult. 1951 Oxf. Jun. Encycl. IV. 291/1 Some methods of navigation employ both radar and radio at the same time... Some of the radar and radio devices..can be used both for the main part of a flight and for the actual landing. 1962 F. I. Ordway et al. Basic Astronautics ix. 385 (heading) Celestial navigation. Ibid., The platform of a celestial navigation system includes an automatic sextant. 1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia I. 376/2 The flight simulator taught the essentials of air navigation and blind flight to thousands of military pilots during World War II. |
c. The action or practice of navigating a motor car (
navigate v. 3 c) or other vehicle.
| 1944 Return to Attack (Army Board, N.Z.) 9/1 Battalions and regiments entered the wilderness in battle order and exercised in desert navigation. 1950 [see navigator 1 c]. 1973 H. Miller Open City xiii. 148 I'm relying on you for navigation..just keep me on the road. |
3. a. A voyage; an expedition or journey by sea or water. Now
rare.
| 1527 R. Thorne in Hakluyt Voy. (1599) I. 214 In this nauigation..was discouered, that these Islands nothing set by golde. 1553 Eden Treat. New Ind. (Arb.) 7 Such thinges as are spoken of in the nauigacions wherof this boke entreateth. 1599 Hakluyt Voy. II. ii. 101 Our nauigation growing so long that it drew neere to seuen moneths. 1632 J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena 160 Their Navigation was short, and favoured with gentle windes. 1673 Phil. Trans. VIII. 6114 Those Countreys that are addicted to long Navigations. a 1715 Burnet Own Time iv. (1724) I. 629 The other was a long navigation, and subject to great accidents. 1752 Carte Hist. Eng. III. 560 The Queen..encouraged her subjects to the like adventures and navigations. 1807 Southey Espriella's Lett. II. 172 Our last navigation had ended by transferring us to a coach. |
b. transf. with reference to fishes.
| 1822–34 Good's Study Med. (ed. 4) IV. 5 Many other marine fishes seek out a fresh-water stream for this purpose; and their navigations are often of very considerable length. |
4. concr. The means of navigation, vessels collectively; shipping. In later use
U.S. ?
Obs.| 1605 Shakes. Macb. iv. i. 54 Though the yesty Waues Confound and swallow Nauigation vp. 1748 Anson's Voy. iii. vii. (ed. 4) 480 The Centurion alone was capable of destroying the whole of the navigation of the port of Canton. 1772 C. Hutton Bridges 86 This will leave more free passage for the water and navigation. 1809 Kendall Trav. I. xxxiii. 321 The word navigation is used in New England for shipping. 1850 Scoresby Cheever's Whalem. Adv. i. (1859) 9 Nearly one-tenth of the navigation of the Union. |
† 5. a. Shipping business; trade or intercourse carried on by sea or water.
Obs.| 1617 Moryson Itin. i. 21 This Navigation is very necessary that the lower Oestreich being fertill, may supply the upper..with wine and corne. 1679 Establ. Test 50 Nor will they make any Scruple..to..weaken us..in our Trade and Navigation. 1720 Strype Stow's Surv. I. i. xxvii. 215/2 The Trade, Navigation, and Naval Strength of this Realm. |
† b. Export.
Obs. rare—1.
| c 1630 Risdon Surv. Devon (1810) 7 Corn we have plentiful.., as well for navigation as for..sustenance. |
† 6. That which one sails on; a passage or course by which one may sail.
Obs. rare.
| 1633 G. Herbert Temple, Man vii, Waters united are our navigation; Distinguished, our habitation. 1654 Earl of Monmouth tr. Bentivoglio's Wars Flanders 312 The divulging of a memorable Navigation..which the Hollanders and Zealanders had that year found out. |
7. † a. A natural inland channel.
Obs. b. A canal or other artificial waterway. Now
dial.| 1720 Lond. Gaz. No. 5885/3 A Stock of Money..in the Navigation of Wakefield. 1761 Ann. Reg. i. 146 A navigation being compleated from Lynn to Northampton. 1794 Whitworth & Mylne Rep. Lond. Canal 6 It is by far the best part of the navigation between London and Lechlade. 1821 Southey Exped. Orsua 89 note, There is some obscurity here in Pedro Simon's narrative, as if he were taking Aguirre by some cross navigation. 1861 Chambers's Encycl. II. 551/2 note, These combinations of drain and canal are commonly called navigations. 1916 A. Bennett Lion's Share i. 7 Probably the largest yacht that had ever threaded that ticklish navigation. |
8. attrib., as
navigation branch,
navigation channel,
navigation deck,
navigation limit,
navigation season; in senses relating mainly to air travel:
navigation beacon,
navigation instrument,
navigation log;
navigation act or
law, a legal enactment regulating navigation or shipping;
navigation coal, steam-coal;
navigation light, one of a set of lights shown by a ship or aircraft at night;
navigation satellite, a satellite whose orbit is accurately known and made available, so that observations of its position may be used for navigational purposes;
navigation spade dial. (see
quot. and
navigator 2 b.)
| 1765 Blackstone Comm. I. 405 The navigation-acts. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Navigation Acts, various statutes by which the legislature of Great Britain has in a certain degree restricted the intercourse of foreign vessels with her own ports. |
| 1941 J. Masefield Nine Days Wonder 3 In war-time, when the navigation-beacons are extinguished. |
| 1778 Eng. Gazetteer (ed. 2) s.v. Avon, The river forms an island, the navigation branch going on one side. |
| 1900 Daily Express 3 Aug. 5/4 A splendid seam of smokeless navigation coal. |
| 1899 Westm. Gaz. 5 Sept. 8/1 She has a navigation deck placed above the promenade deck. |
| 1959 F. D. Adams Aeronaut. Dict. 117/1 Navigation instrument, an aircraft instrument that indicates, or that is used to ascertain, information relating to the position of an aircraft in flight, or to the direction in which it is flying. |
| 1840 Penny Cycl. XVI. 117/1 Navigation laws. |
| 1922 Navigation light [see landing light]. 1939 T. L. Stocken Oncoming Ships 99/1 Lights..mistaken for navigation lights. 1943 C. D. Lane Boatman's Manual x. 355 In addition to the navigation light, the lightship carries a riding light forward. 1951 Oxf. Jun. Encycl. IV. 4/1 Small lights attached to the wing tips are navigation lights, similar to those used by ships. 1966 Navigation light [see collision course]. 1970 V. Canning Great Affair vii. 117 A helicopter..came low over the villa... It wasn't showing any navigation lights. |
| 1937 Navigation log [see air speed (air n.1 B. III. 1)]. |
| 1961 Ann. Reg. 1960 386 Transit IB (U.S.A.)..Navigation satellite. Not transmitting. 1968 Listener 27 June 825/1 On 21 April 1964 the U.S. military authorities launched a navigation satellite. |
| 1891 Daily News 28 Oct. 2/8 The navigation season is now nearing its end. |
| 1830 Cumb. Farm Rep. 65 in Lib. Usef. Kn., Husb. III, The round-mouthed spades used in forming canals, etc., called here navigation spades. |
Hence
naviˈgational a.| 1884 Knight Dict. Mech. Suppl. 631/1 Navigational Sounding Machine. 1902 Mahan Types Naval Officers, Howe 290 A navigational problem complicated by uncertain winds. 1920 Act 10 & 11 Geo. V c.67 §69 Lighthouses, light vessels, buoys, beacons, or other navigational marks. 1930 Proc. Internat. Illumination Congr. 1931 II. 995 The navigational light on a light-vessel is fitted in a latern which, in the older types, is made in halves bolted together around the mast. 1951 Oxf. Jun. Encycl. IV. 291/1 Another radio navigational aid is the radio compass. 1954 Communications & Electronics I. i. 60 The progress of modern aviation is becoming increasingly bound up with developments in communications and navigational aids. 1962 D. Slayton in Into Orbit 21 Carpenter..told us what he was doing about navigational aids, although the word ‘navigation’ was really a misnomer in our case... When you've been..tossed into either a ballistic trajectory or into an orbit, your course is already set. There is nothing you can do to change it. 1966 Electronics 3 Oct. 177 Teldix..supply instrumentation, navigational platforms and sensors. 1971 Gloss. Electrotechnical, Power Terms (B.S.I.) iii. vi. 22 Navigational radar, radar equipment installed on a craft as an aid to its navigation. 1973 Fisheries Fact Sheet (Environment Canada Fisheries & Marine Service) No. 1. 4/2 Small boats..equipped with..navigational aids and radio. |