There were four suggestions for the proper terminology for a line 
projected from a starting point and a bearing; rhumb, strike, 
transect, and vector. It was instructive to look up these terms as 
they generally have multiple uses. I've listed portions dictionary 
entries most applicable to the usage I was looking for below. Given 
that I posed this question because I was unsure of the answer I won't 
arbitrate (although rhumb seems to have the best fit).


rhumb: a line or course on a single bearing

strike: the direction of the line of intersections of a horizontal 
plane with an uptilted geological stratum; a distance

transect: a line along which a survey is made

vector: a course or compass direction especially of an airplane

Thanks for the replies,

Declan


>Gavin MacLean's query about bearings prompted a flashback to a 
>recent bit of trivia I was curious about. If one has a starting 
>point and a bearing (angle) and plots a line, is there a specific 
>term to describe this line or the line in the following snipit from 
>Gavin's summary?
>
>>is probably the easiest solution. To use it you simply draw a line on the
>>screen and a dialog box pops up giving you the bearing and distance. The
>
>I often hear (and am sometimes guilty myself) such a line referred 
>to as a bearing but this may just be an evolution from the need to 
>draw lines to represent angles.
>
>Any cartotrignoentomlinguists out there aware of the proper term for 
>a line generated from a starting point and a bearing?
>
>Declan

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