Compass

How to spell compass

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce compass

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does compass mean?

1. nounAn instrument with a magnetised needle that shows the direction of magnetic north for navigation.
2. nounA hinged drawing instrument with two legs, one holding a pencil, used to draw circles and arcs.
3. nounThe range, extent, or scope within which something operates or is contained.

Compass in a sentence

• The hikers checked the compass before leaving the marked trail.

• She used a compass to draw a perfect circle in her geometry exercise.

• That question falls outside the compass of this report.

• His phone battery died, so he relied on a small brass compass to find his way back.

• The maths set included a protractor, a ruler, and a compass for technical drawing.

• The new policy lies within the compass of the committee's authority.

Where does compass come from?

Language of origin: French

The word arrived in English in the 1300s from the Old French compas, a noun built on the verb compasser, meaning 'to measure out' or 'to divide into equal steps'. That French verb traces back to a Latin combination of com-, meaning 'together', and passus, meaning 'a pace' or 'a step', so the literal idea was something like 'to step out together' or to pace off a measurement. From this measuring sense came both the drawing instrument with two legs that steps out a circle and, by extension, the magnetic navigation device that helps a traveller measure and hold a direction. The same passus root that gives us 'pace' and 'passage' sits quietly inside compass, which is a useful reminder that the second syllable is spelled -pass and not -pas. The figurative meaning, a range or scope as in 'within the compass of', grew directly from the idea of marking out boundaries with a measuring tool.

How the word is built

• com- (together)
• -pass (from Latin passus: a step or pace)