Nautical Mile
/ˈnɔːtɪkəl maɪl/noun
A unit of distance used in navigation, equal to one minute of latitude, now standardized at 1,852 meters.
Did you know?Its first word comes from Greek nautikos, “of ships,” from naus, “ship,” while the mile itself descends from the Roman mille passus, “a thousand paces,” so this unit fuses sea-travel with ancient marching distance.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
naus
“ship”
Ancient Greek
Greek
nautikos
“of ships, seafaring”
Latin
Latin
mille passus
“a thousand paces, a Roman mile”
Old French
Old French
mile
“mile”
Modern English
English
nautical mile
“a navigational unit of distance based on one minute of latitude”