Navigate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt/

Definitions

1. To plan and direct a course through space or a system by determining position and direction, or to manage skillfully through difficulties or complex situations
2. To find one's way through a physical environment or a complex set of challenges, while also guiding or directing a journey or process with skill and precision
3. The act of determining and following a route within a particular space or context, and managing a complex experience or situation effectively

Etymology: The verb descends from Latin "navigare," meaning to sail or to go by ship, built from "navis" ("ship") and a suffix tied to driving or doing. Its Latin past participle "navigatus" is the direct ancestor of the English form, which arrived in the late 1500s, around 1588, with the sense of sailing a vessel. The original meaning stayed close to the sea for a long time. The modern sense of finding and following a route, whether on a ship, an aircraft, or a road, grew out of that nautical core, since working out a course was the central skill of seafaring. The word therefore began with the physical act of steering a boat and gradually came to cover any careful plotting of a path.

Synonyms: steer, guide, direct, pilot, maneuver

Antonyms: mislead, wander, stray, drift, neglect