English Dictionary: Naucrates ductor | by the DICT Development Group |
2 results for Naucrates ductor | |
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: | |
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From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Pilot \Pi"lot\, n. [F. pilote, prob. from D. peillood plummet, sounding lead; peilen, pegelen, to sound, measure (fr. D. & G. peil, pegel, a sort of measure, water mark) + lood lead, akin to E. lead. The pilot, then, is the lead man, i. e., he who throws the lead. See {Pail}, and {Lead} a metal.] 1. (Naut.) One employed to steer a vessel; a helmsman; a steersman. --Dryden. 2. Specifically, a person duly qualified, and licensed by authority, to conduct vessels into and out of a port, or in certain waters, for a fixed rate of fees. 3. Figuratively: A guide; a director of another through a difficult or unknown course. 4. An instrument for detecting the compass error. 5. The cowcatcher of a locomotive. [U.S.] {Pilot balloon}, a small balloon sent up in advance of a large one, to show the direction and force of the wind. {Pilot bird}. (Zo[94]l.) (a) A bird found near the Caribbee Islands; -- so called because its presence indicates to mariners their approach to these islands. --Crabb. (b) The black-bellied plover. [Local, U.S.] {Pilot boat}, a strong, fast-sailing boat used to carry and receive pilots as they board and leave vessels. {Pilot bread}, ship biscuit. {Pilot cloth}, a coarse, stout kind of cloth for overcoats. {Pilot engine}, a locomotive going in advance of a train to make sure that the way is clear. {Pilot fish}. (Zo[94]l) (a) A pelagic carangoid fish ({Naucrates ductor}); -- so named because it is often seen in company with a shark, swimming near a ship, on account of which sailors imagine that it acts as a pilot to the shark. (b) The rudder fish ({Seriola zonata}). {Pilot jack}, a flag or signal hoisted by a vessel for a pilot. {Pilot jacket}, a pea jacket. {Pilot nut} (Bridge Building), a conical nut applied temporarily to the threaded end of a pin, to protect the thread and guide the pin when it is driven into a hole. --Waddell. {Pilot snake} (Zo[94]l.) (a) A large North American snake ({Coluber obsoleus}). It is lustrous black, with white edges to some of the scales. Called also {mountain black snake}. (b) The pine snake. {Pilot whale}. (Zo[94]l.) Same as {Blackfish}, 1. |