Waywiser
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An instrument for measuring distance travelled, such as an odometer, pedometer, perambulator, etc.
"I went to see Colonel Blount, who showed me the application of the "Waywiser" to a coach, exactly measuring the miles and showing them by an index as we went along."
- 2 An instrument for determining direction (and possibly other aspects of one's travel as well).
"Not being accustomed to this cruciform movement, I was not able, by the waywiser, to determine the real direction of the balloon, and on this account M. Robertson suffered to escape a considerable quantity of gas; on which we again fell till the barometer stood at 29 inches, about 50 minutes past seven."
- 3 A guide; A means of determining the direction in which to proceed. figuratively
"We have not sought to make a treatise, but only to set up a waywiser or signpost to show the road the law is taking ."
Example
More examples"I went to see Colonel Blount, who showed me the application of the "Waywiser" to a coach, exactly measuring the miles and showing them by an index as we went along."
Etymology
Compare German Wegweiser (“a waymark, a guide”), from Weg (“way”) + weisen (“to show, direct”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.