Encompasses

How to spell encompasses

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce encompasses

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does encompasses mean?

1. verbIncludes or contains a wide range of things within its scope.

Encompasses in a sentence

• The new role encompasses both hiring and budgeting duties.

• Her thesis encompasses three centuries of trade history.

Where does encompasses come from?

Language of origin: French

This is a form of the verb 'encompass', which English assembled in the 1500s from the prefix 'en-', meaning 'to put into' or 'to surround', and the noun 'compass'. That noun reached English through Old French 'compas', from the verb 'compasser', meaning 'to measure out' or 'to go around', which itself traces to Latin 'com-' (together) and 'passus' (a pace or step), so the literal idea was of stepping around something to measure its bounds. From measuring a circle the sense broadened to the circular instrument for drawing arcs and to the magnetic navigation device, and 'compass' also kept the older meaning of 'range' or 'extent', as in 'the compass of a voice'. When 'encompass' was coined it meant to form a circle around or enclose, and from there it grew the modern figurative sense of taking everything in or including a wide range. The doubled 's' before the '-es' ending is the spelling worth watching, since the base 'compass' already ends in 'ss'.

How the word is built

• en- (to put in, surround)
• compass (circle, range, from Old French compas)
• -es (third person singular verb ending)