What does "mercator" mean?

An orthomorphic map projection, in which meridians appear at right-angles to the equator, and lines of latitude are horizontal lines whose distance from each other increases with distance from the equator.

What is a synonym for "mercator"?

Common synonyms include: gerardus mercator.

How do you pronounce "mercator"?

Pronounced //mɜɹˈkeɪ.tɜɹ//.

Mercator

//mɜɹˈkeɪ.tɜɹ// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
An orthomorphic map projection, in which meridians appear at right-angles to the equator, and lines of latitude are horizontal lines whose distance from each other increases with distance from the equator. attributive
"we have determined to go by way of Lisbon […] , if so be that Capt. Kidd our gallant or rather gallows commander understands plain sailing and Mercator, and takes us on our voyage all according to the Chart."

Synonyms

All synonyms

gerardus mercator

Example

More examples

"we have determined to go by way of Lisbon […] , if so be that Capt. Kidd our gallant or rather gallows commander understands plain sailing and Mercator, and takes us on our voyage all according to the Chart."

Etymology

From Gerardus Mercator, Latinized name of Gerard de Cremer (1512–1594), Flemish cartographer and mathematician, from Latin mercātor (“merchant”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.