Encompass

How to spell encompass

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce encompass

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does encompass mean?

1. verbTo include or contain a wide range of things, or to surround something completely.

Encompass in a sentence

• The new role will encompass both training and recruitment.

• Their research aims to encompass every region of the country.

Where does encompass come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This verb was assembled in English in the sixteenth century from the prefix en-, meaning 'to surround or put into', joined to the noun 'compass'. That noun reached English through Old French 'compas', built on the Latin verb 'compassare', which combined 'com-' (together) with 'passus' (a step or pace), so the underlying image is of pacing out or stepping around the full extent of something. From the idea of measuring a circle by stepping its boundary came both the navigational instrument and the sense of 'circuit' or 'range'. When English speakers added en- to make 'encompass', they produced a word meaning to enclose, surround, or take everything in. The spelling trap sits in the middle: a single 'm' and a doubled 's', echoing the original 'passus' rather than the look of 'compus'.

How the word is built

• en- (to put into, surround)
• com- (together)
• pass (step, pace, from Latin passus)