rhumb means A line which crosses successive meridians at a constant angle. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
rhumb is pronounced /ɹʌm/.
Why “rhumb” is a great word
RHUMB — [Noun] A line on the surface of a sphere that cuts every meridian at the same angle, thereby maintaining a constant compass bearing; also, any of the 32 principal points on the mariner's compass. From Spanish rumbo or Portuguese rumo ("course, direction"), from Latin rhombus ("rhombus, lozenge"), from Ancient Greek ῥόμβος (rhómbos, "spinning top, rhombus"). First attested in English in the 1570s. Unlike a "great circle," which offers the shortest route by constantly shifting its bearing, or the purely geometric "loxodrome," the rhumb is a navigator's covenant of constancy. It is the dogged line plotted on a Mercator chart, the ship's bow holding its oblique angle through wave after wave, and the unwavering axis of a compass rose carved into brass—a testament to the human preference for a reliable course over a perfect one.
noun
- A line which crosses successive meridians at a constant angle.
- Any of the 32 points of the compass.
- A unit of angular measure equal to 1/32 of a circle or 11.25°.