helisphericaladj.
/hɛlɪˈsfɛrɪkəl/ Winding spirally upon a sphere. helispherical line: the line traced upon the terrestrial sphere by a ship sailing constantly towards the same point of the compass (other than the four cardinal points), which winds spirally round the pole, continually approaching but never reaching it; otherwise called the loxodromic curve or rhumb-line.
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the world > space > shape > curvature > coil > [adjective] > spiral or helical > helical > upon a sphere
helisphericala1646
a1646 J. Gregory Posthuma (1649) 285 They are Helispherical Lines, as they call them.
1659 J. Moxon Tutor to Astron. & Geogr. i. 9 The Rhumbs are neither Circles nor straight Lines, but Helispherical or Spiral lines.
1796 C. Hutton Math. & Philos. Dict. Helispherical line is the Rhumb line in Navigation.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1898; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
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adj.a1646