What do expressions like north by east or south by west mean?

When I have heard them, I have always assumed it was simply "northeast" and "southwest" - in other words, the direction that is between the two.

Hi Jackson

"North by east" tells you that the direction not directly north, but rather north and a little bit toward the east.

To follow up on Barb's comment, it seems to me that expressions such as "north by northwest" are more often used than "north by west". But, then again, that's just a gut feeling.

Yes, I think you're right.

North = 0 degrees
West = 270 degrees
Northwest = 315 degrees
North by northwest = 337.5 degrees (Someone may want to check my math)

Thank you, Barb and Amy.

Best wishes, Jackson

These expressions are actually very precise points on the compass in traditional nautical terms. Try looking up "boxing the compass" on Wikipedia and you will find a diagram that shows all 32 points. While "northeast" is the point halfway between north and east (45 degrees east of north), north by east is only 11.25 degrees to the east of north -- nowhere near the same. These terms are very ra