navigate
Definitions
To plan and steer the course of a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle.
导航；领航；驾驶（船、飞机等）确定并控制航向。
To find one's way through a place or situation; to move through something complicated.
在某地或某情境中找路；穿过复杂的事物。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivednav (ship, from Latin nāvis) + agere (to drive) = nāvigāre, 'to drive a ship.' The '-ig-' is the worn-down trace of agere, not a separate piece. From steering a vessel across water, the meaning broadened to finding your way through anything: a city, a menu, a tricky negotiation.
Root nav still carries 17 more wordsWhy It Means This
Navigate started purely maritime — steering a ship by stars and charts. As travel by car, plane, and finally screen took over, the word followed: we now 'navigate' a website or 'navigate' a divorce. The constant image is someone at the helm, choosing a path through uncertainty.
Common Collocations
- 1.navigate through穿过…航行
- 2.navigate around绕过…
- 3.navigate a course确定航线
- 4.navigate a website浏览网站
Example Sentences
- 1.
The captain used the stars to navigate across the open sea.
- 2.
A small app helps tourists navigate the old city's narrow streets.
- 3.
New parents must learn to navigate sleepless nights and endless advice.