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Added 9 October 2026

nautical

/ˈnɔːtɪ.kəl/ adjective

Latin root: nauticus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about nautical at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Relating to or involving ships or shipping or navigation or seamen.
nautical charts

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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