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rate delineation of the whole on paper; the act or occupation of making surveys. Geodetic surveying, geodesy. -- Maritime, or Nautical, surveying, that branch of surveying which determines the forms of coasts and harbors, the entrances of rivers, with the position of islands, rocks, and shoals, the depth of water, etc…

ugh the center of any object; as, the azimuth of a star; the azimuth or bearing of a line surveying.

e first base without being put out. -- Base line. (a) A main line taken as a base, as in surveying or in military operations. (b) A line traced round a cannon at the rear of the vent. -- Base plate, the foundation plate of heavy machinery, as of the steam engine; the bed plate. -- Base ring (Ordnance), a projecting…

r set of objects, to see if it or they be level or in line, as in carpentry, masonry, and surveying. Knight. Joiners, etc., bone their work with two straight edges. W. M. Buchanan.

A pile of stones heaped up as a landmark, or to arrest attention, as in surveying, or in leaving traces of an exploring party, etc. C. Kingsley. Kane.

An instrument for constructing triangles in marine surveying, etc.

The art of surveying a region or district.

A surveying instrument, for taking horizontal angles and bearings; a surveyor's compass. It consists of a compass whose needle plays over a circle graduated to 360º, and of a horizontal brass bar at the ends of which are standards with narrow slits for sighting, supported on a tripod by a ball and socket joint.…

order to preserve its horizontal position. -- Surveyor's compass, an instrument used in surveying for measuring horizontal angles. See Circumferentor. -- Variation compass, a compass of delicate construction, used in observations on the variations of the needle. -- To fetch a compass, to make a circuit.…

An instrument for measuring angles, in surveying, etc. It resembles

A method of surveying, especially in mines, in which the bearings of the courses, or the angles which they make with each other, are determined by means of the circumferentor.

out; to prolong in space; to carry forward or continue in length; as, to extend a line in surveying; to extend a cord across the street. Few extend their thoughts toward universal knowledge'. Locke.

A small flag for marking the stations in surveying.

he earth's surface, or the general figure and dimenshions of the earth; or that branch of surveying in which the curvature of the earth is taken into account, as in the surveys of States, or of long lines of coast.

ed or determined by the operations of geodesy; engaged in geodesy; geodesic; as, geodetic surveying; geodetic observers. Geodetic line or curve, the shortest line that can be drawn between two points on the elipsoidal surface of the earth; a curve drawn on any given surface so that the osculating plane of the curve at…

attached in to the crosshead to work in contact with the guide bar. -- Guide meridian. (Surveying) See under Meridian. -- Guide pile (Engin.), a pile driven to mark a place, as a point to work to. -- Guide pulley (Mach.), a pulley for directing or changing the line of motion of belt; an idler. Knight. -- Guide rai…

That branch of surveying which embraces the determination of the contour of the bottom of a harbor or other sheet of water, the depth of soundings, the position of channels and shoals, with the construction of charts exhibiting these particulars.

f staff or weapon, especially in the Middle Ages; a pilgrim's staff. [Obs.] Spenser. (b) (Surveying) See under Staff.

One who carried the line in surveying, etc.

To walk through or over; especially, to travel over for the purpose of surveying or examining; to inspect by traversing; specifically, to inspect officially the boundaries of, as of a town or parish, by walking over the whole line.