nautical

adjective

nau·​ti·​cal ˈnȯ-ti-kəl 

ˈnä-

: of, relating to, or associated with seamen, navigation, or ships

a dictionary of nautical terms

nautical flags

nautical skills

nautically

ˈnȯ-ti-k(ə-)lē 

ˈnä-

adverb

Synonyms

• marine
• maritime
• navigational

Examples of nautical in a Sentence

a dictionary of nautical terms

collected sextants and other antique nautical equipment

Recent Examples on the Web

From [nautical] mile 200, the Argentine Navy [ …] under the coordination of the Joint Maritime Command, stands firm, patrolling and watching and ensuring that no foreign ship crosses our exclusive economic zone to plunder what belongs to Argentines. —Matt Robison, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025

If your home has a more nautical theme, a fishhook is the perfect choice. —Christopher Murray, Fox News, 22 Feb. 2025

The zone extends no more than 200 nautical miles from the territorial sea baseline and is adjacent to the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea of the U.S., including Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Mariana Islands. —Andrew Freedman, Axios, 13 Feb. 2025

Sperry Top-sider Gold Cup Tumbled Boat Shoe Headed somewhere nautical? —Genevieve Cepeda, Travel + Leisure, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin nauticus, from Greek nautikos, from nautēs sailor, from naus ship — more at nave

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing nautical

• nautical mile

Rhymes for nautical

• aeronautical
• astronautical

Kids Definition

nautical

adjective

nau·​ti·​cal ˈnȯt-i-kəl 

ˈnät-

: of or relating to sailors, navigation, or ships

nautically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Etymology

from Latin nauticus "nautical," from Greek nautikos (same meaning), from nautēs "sailor," from naus "ship" — related to astronaut, nausea see Word History at nausea