Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A method of estimating the position of an aircraft or a ship without astronomical observations, as by applying to a previously determined position the course and distance traveled since.
- noun Predictive calculation based on inference; guesswork.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
method ofestimating theposition of aship oraircraft byapplying estimates of thedistance anddirection travelled to apreviously known position. In respect to ships/boats, it excludes the effect of wind and current on the vessel. Compare with estimated position. Abbreviation: DR
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun navigation without the aid of celestial observations
- noun an estimate based on little or no information
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[Possibly alteration of ded., abbr. of deduced, from deduce, to trace from the beginning; see deduce.]
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Examples
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oroboros commented on the word dead reckoning
Primitive navigation where compass and observed winddrift are the sole means of aviating from point A to point B (in unfamiliar or otherwise featureless terrain). Also known as "DR" navigation.
January 2, 2007