nautical
/ˈnoːtɪ.kəl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.49 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Of, relating to, or characteristic of sailing, sailors, or the sea.
Example Sentences
- "Near-synonyms: marine, maritime, naval, seafaring"
- "I was mostly unfamiliar with the nautical terms used in the sailing documentary."
- "The occurrence to which we allude—fraught as our shores are with recollection of nautical disaster—is one which must powerfully impress even the most unreflecting mind."
- "Anywhere in the immediate vicinity there might be seen […] little timber midshipmen in obsolete naval uniforms, eternally employed outside the shopdoors of nautical instrument-makers in taking observations of the hackney coaches."
- "In front is a leather rack, in which to keep your speaking trumpet, pipe, telescope, and other nautical conveniences."
- "The mainsail was "scandalised"—a nautical mode of describing a sail reefed at both ends; […]"
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *néh₂us Ancient Greek ναῦς (naûs) Proto-Indo-European *-tósder. Ancient Greek -της (-tēs) Ancient Greek ναύτης (naútēs) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Hellenic *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) Ancient Greek -ικός (-ikós) Ancient Greek ναυτικός (nautikós)bor. Classical Latin nauticusbor. Middle French nautique ▲ Classical Latin nauticus Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al English -al English nautical From Middle French nautique (“of or relating to sailors or navigation”) or its etymon, Classical Latin nauticus (“of or relating to ships, seafaring”), + -al (adjectival suffix). Nauticus is from Ancient Greek ναυτικός (nautikós), from ναύτης (naútēs, “sailor”) + -ικός (-ikós, adjecival suffix). Compare later nautic. With use as noun compare Classical Latin nauticus (“sailor”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈnoːtɪ.kəl/
- British English: /ˈnɔːtɪ.kəl/