the finding of a ship's position by an estimate based on data recorded in the log, as speed and the time spent on a certain course, rather than by more precise means, as astronomical observations or Loran
See dead reckoning in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
A method of estimating the position of an aircraft or a ship without astronomical observations, as by applying to a previously determined position the course and distance traveled since.
Predictive calculation based on inference; guesswork.
Origin:
Origin: Possibly alteration of ded.
Origin: , abbr. of deduced
Origin: , from deduce, to trace from the beginning; see deduce