nautical mile

noun

1. a unit of distance used chiefly in navigation, equal to 6080.20 feet (1853.25 meters) in the United States, now replaced by the international nautical mile.

nautical mile

noun

1. Also called: international nautical mile.  air mile. a unit of length, used esp in navigation, equivalent to the average length of a minute of latitude, and corresponding to a latitude of 45°, i.e. 1852 m (6076.12 ft)

2. Former name: geographical mile. a former British unit of length equal to 1853.18 m (6080 ft), which was replaced by the international nautical mile in 1970 Compare sea mile

nautical mile

1. A unit of length in the US Customary System, used in air and sea navigation and equal to 6,076 feet or 2,025 yards (1,852 meters).

2. Also called geographic mile

3. See Table at measurement

Word History and Origins

Origin of nautical mile¹

First recorded in 1625–35

Example Sentences

Two weeks later, it sank, spilling its cargo and fuel into the sea around nine nautical miles off the country's south-west coast, between the capital Colombo and Negombo to the north.

From BBC

The power lines that the plane struck were about 90 feet above the ground and about 1.8 nautical miles away from the runway.

From Los Angeles Times

The Madleen yacht is 160 nautical miles from the Gaza Strip and is attempting to challenge Israel's naval blockade of the territory.

From BBC

For him, the number one priority for any future fishing deal is to stop EU vessels entering the stretch of coastal water that lies between six and 12 nautical miles offshore.

From BBC

The Irish Coast Guard said the missing man is believed to have gone overboard from a UK registered yacht 16 nautical miles south of Dunmore East in the Irish Sea.

From BBC