1. n. [General Terms]

A unit of distance used for marine and aerial navigation. A nautical mile is approximately equivalent to the angle of one minute of latitude at Earth’s surface.

The conventional value for the nautical mile was established at the First International Extraordinary Hydrographic Conference held in the Principality of Monaco in 1929 and named the international nautical mile. In SI units, the nautical mile is equal to exactly 1,852 m, which is approximately 6,076 ft.

Reference: Bureau International des Poids et Mesures: The International System of Units (SI), 8th edition. Paris: Organisation Intergouvernementale de la Convention du Mètre, 2006.

Synonyms: international nautical mile

See: knot