From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :
Palinurus \Pal`inu"rus\, n. [So called from L. Palinurus, the pilot of Aeneas.] (Naut.) An instrument for obtaining directly, without calculation, the true bearing of the sun, and thence the variation of the compass. [1913 Webster]From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) :
Palinurus n 1: type genus of the family Palinuridae [syn: Palinurus, genus Palinurus]