gnomonic

[ noh-mon-ik ]

adjective

1. of or relating to a gnomon or to a sundial.
2. of or relating to the measurement of time by a gnomon or a sundial.
3. gnomic ².
4. of, relating to, or noting a map projection in which all great circles are depicted as straight lines:

   a gnomonic chart.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gnomonic¹

1595–1605; < Latin gnōmonicus “of, belonging to a gnomon” < Greek gnōmonikós. See gnomon, -ic

Example Sentences

Not only are the citizens of Joyce’s Dublin trapped in a state of paralysis, unable to act for themselves, but they are also miniature versions of larger sociopolitical systems, a relationship that Joyce scholars term “gnomonic,” Thus are Yan’s people and places similarly related to each other.

From Los Angeles Times

Another option is to replace Mercator’s projection with a polar gnomonic one — but this merely makes the rest of the world distend and drop off the horizon.

From The New Yorker

When drawing up a map, a cartographer must choose between zenithal, gnomonic, stereographic, orthographic, globular, conical, cylindrical or sinusoidal modes of projection — each of which brings with it as many disadvantages as benefits.

From The New Yorker

Gnomonic projection is a projection of a sphere in which the centre of sight is the centre of the sphere.

From Project Gutenberg

Chart Projections The earth is projected, so to speak, upon a chart in three different ways - the Mercator Projection, the Polyconic Projection and the Gnomonic Projection.

From Project Gutenberg