Rumb

a Russian term that may be translated as “bearing,” “rhumb,” or “point.” When applied to the direction to points of the horizon relative to the cardinal points, it may be rendered as “bearing.” When the points of the compass are meant, the English rendering for this usage is “point” or, less often, “rhumb.” The term is also applied to the angle between two such successive points; the English term in this case is “point” or, rarely, “rhumb.” The term rumb is made use of in navigation in identifying the heading of, for example, a ship or an airplane or the direction to a visible object, such as a lighthouse or a promontory. In oceanography, the term is used in indicating the direction of currents, waves, and ice drift.

In maritime navigation, the compass of the horizon is divided into 32 points; the angle between two successive points is thus 11°15’. In meteorology, the horizon is usually divided into 16 points. The directions north, east, south, and west are called the principal points. The names of the other points are composite forms of the names of the principal points; “northeast” and “southwest” are examples. Points are customarily designated by the first letters of the names of the cardinal points—for example, NE and SW. A direction is sometimes given in points and degrees. For example, N6°E means the direction 6° east of north.

In geodesy, the Russian term rumb is applied to an angle not exceeding 90° that is made by a given line and a geographic meridian. In English, the term “bearing” is generally used in this sense.