Adjacent Words

Compass definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

COMPASS, n.
1. Stretch; reach; extent; the limit or boundary of a space, and the space included; applied to time, space, sound, etc. Our knowledge lies within a very narrow compass. The universe extends beyond the compass of our thoughts. So we say, the compass of a year, the compass of an empire, the compass of reason, the compass of the voice.
And in that compass all the world contains.
2. A passing round; a circular course; a circuit.
Time is come round;
and where I did begin, thee shall I end:
My life has run its compass.
They fetched a compass of seven days journey. 2 Kings 3. 1 Samuel 5. Acts 28.
3. Moderate bounds; limits of truth; moderation; due limits.
In two hundred years, (I speak within compass,) no such commission had been executed.
This sense is the same as the first, and the peculiar force of the phrase lies in the word within.
4. The extent or limit of the voice or of sound.
5. An instrument for directing or ascertaining the course of ships at sea, consisting of a circular box, containing a paper card marked with the thirty two points of direction, fixed on a magnetic needle, that always points to the north, the variation excepted. The needle with the card turns on a pin in the center of the box. In the center of the needle is fixed a brass conical socket or cap, by which the card hanging on the pin turns freely round the center. The box is covered with glass, to prevent the motion of the card from being disturbed by the wind.
6. Compass or compasses, [or a pair of compasses, so named from its legs, but pair is superfluous or improper, and the singular number compass is the preferable name,] an instrument for describing circles, measuring figures, etc., consisting of two pointed legs or branches, made of iron, steel or brass, joined at the top by a rivet, on which they move. There are also compasses of three legs or triangular compasses, cylindrical and spherical compasses with four branches, and various other kinds.
7. An instrument used in surveying land, constructed in the main like the mariners compass; but with this difference, that the needle is not fitted into the card, moving with it, but plays alone; the card being drawn on the bottom of the box, and a circle divided into 360 degrees on the limb. This instrument is used in surveying land, and in directing travelers in a desert or forest, miners, etc.
Compass-saw, a saw with a brad edge and thin back, to cut in a circular form.
COMPASS, v.t.
1. To stretch round; to extend so as to embrace the whole; hence, to inclose, encircle, grasp or seize; as, to compass with the arms.
2. To surround; to environ; to inclose on all sides; sometimes followed by around, round or about.
Now all the blessings of a glad father compass thee about.
With favor wilt thou compass him as with a shield. Psalms 5.
The willows of the brook compass him about. Job 40.
3. To go or walk round.
Ye shall compass the city--and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times. Josh 6.
For ye compass sea and land. Math. 23.
4. To besiege; to beleaguer; to block up. This is not a different sense, but a particular application.
Thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side. Luke 19.
5. To obtain; to attain to; to procure; to bring within ones power; to accomplish.
If I can check my erring love, I will;
If not, to compass her Ill use my skill.
How can you hope to compass your designs?
6. To purpose; to intend; to imagine; to plot; to contrive; as we say, to go about to perform, but in mind only; as, to compass the death of the king.
Compassing and imaging the death of the king are synonymous terms; compass signifying the purpose or design of the mind or will, and not, as in common speech, the carrying such design to effect.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: navigational instrument for finding directions
2: an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"; "a piano has a greater range than the human voice"; "the ambit of municipal legislation"; "within the compass of this article"; "within the scope of an investigation"; "outside the reach of the law"; "in the political orbit of a world power" [syn: scope, range, reach, orbit, compass, ambit]
3: the limit of capability; "within the compass of education" [syn: compass, range, reach, grasp]
4: drafting instrument used for drawing circles v
1: bring about; accomplish; "This writer attempts more than his talents can compass"
2: travel around, either by plane or ship; "We compassed the earth" [syn: circumnavigate, compass]
3: get the meaning of something; "Do you comprehend the meaning of this letter?" [syn: grok, get the picture, comprehend, savvy, dig, grasp, compass, apprehend]

Merriam Webster's

I. transitive verb Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French cumpasser to measure, from Vulgar Latin *compassare to pace off, from Latin com- + passus pace Date: 14th century 1. to devise or contrive often with craft or skill ; plot <persons…who have compassed my destruction — Charles Dickens> 2. encompass 3. a. bring about, achieve b. to get into one's possession or power ; obtain 4. comprehend • compassable adjective II. noun Date: 14th century 1. a. boundary, circumference <within the compass of the city walls> b. a circumscribed space <within the narrow compass of 21 pages — V. L. Parrington> c. range, scope <the compass of my voice> 2. a curved or roundabout course <a compass of seven days' journey — 2 Kings
3:9(Authorized Version)> 3. a. a device for determining directions by means of a magnetic needle or group of needles turning freely on a pivot and pointing to the magnetic north b. any of various nonmagnetic devices that indicate direction c. an instrument for describing circles or transferring measurements that consists of two pointed branches joined at the top by a pivot — usually used in plural; called also pair of compasses 4. direction 6c <his moral compass> Synonyms: see range III. adjective Date: 1523 forming a curve ; curved <a compass timber>

Britannica Concise

In navigation or surveying, the chief device for direction-finding on the earth's surface. Compasses may operate on magnetic or gyroscopic (see gyroscope) principles or by determining the direction of the sun or a star. The oldest and most familiar type is the magnetic compass, used in different forms in aircraft, ships, and land vehicles and by surveyors. Magnetic compasses work as they do because earth itself acts as a magnet with a north-south field (see geomagnetic field) that causes freely moving magnets to align themselves with the field.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 (in full magnetic compass) an instrument showing the direction of magnetic north and bearings from it. 2 (usu. in pl.) an instrument for taking measurements and describing circles, with two arms connected at one end by a movable joint. 3 a circumference or boundary. 4 area, extent; scope (e.g. of knowledge or experience) (beyond my compass). 5 the range of tones of a voice or a musical instrument. --v.tr. literary 1 hem in. 2 grasp mentally. 3 contrive, accomplish. 4 go round. Phrases and idioms: compass card a circular rotating card showing the 32 principal bearings, forming the indicator of a magnetic compass. compass rose a circle of the principal directions marked on a chart. compass-saw a saw with a narrow blade, for cutting curves. compass window a bay window with a semi-circular curve. Derivatives: compassable adj. Etymology: ME f. OF compas ult. f. L passus PACE(1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Compass Com"pass, n. [F. compas, fr. LL. compassus circle, prop., a stepping together; com- + passus pace, step. See Pace, Pass.] 1. A passing round; circuit; circuitous course. They fetched a compass of seven day's journey. --2 Kings iii. 9. This day I breathed first; time is come round, And where I did begin, there shall I end; My life is run his compass. --Shak. 2. An inclosing limit; boundary; circumference; as, within the compass of an encircling wall. 3. An inclosed space; an area; extent. Their wisdom . . . lies in a very narrow compass. --Addison.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Compass Com"pass, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Compassed; p. pr. & vb. n. Compassing.] [F. compasser, LL. compassare.] 1. To go about or entirely round; to make the circuit of. Ye shall compass the city seven times. --Josh. vi. 4. We the globe can compass soon. --Shak. 2. To inclose on all sides; to surround; to encircle; to environ; to invest; to besiege; -- used with about, round, around, and round about. With terrors and with clamors compassed round. --Milton. Now all the blessings Of a glad father compass thee about. --Shak. Thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round. --Luke xix. 43. 3. To reach round; to circumvent; to get within one's power; to obtain; to accomplish. If I can check my erring love, I will: If not, to compass her I'll use my skill. --Shak. How can you hope to compass your designs? --Denham. 4. To curve; to bend into a circular form. [Obs. except in carpentry and shipbuilding.] --Shak. 5. (Law) To purpose; to intend; to imagine; to plot. Compassing and imagining the death of the king are synonymous terms; compassing signifying the purpose or design of the mind or will, and not, as in common speech, the carrying such design to effect. --Blackstone.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(compasses) 1. A compass is an instrument that you use for finding directions. It has a dial and a magnetic needle that always points to the north. We had to rely on a compass and a lot of luck to get here. N-COUNT 2. Compasses are a hinged V-shaped instrument that you use for drawing circles. N-PLURAL: also a pair of N

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Encompass, environ, surround, encircle, enclose, engird, embrace, compass about, stretch round. 2. Besiege, invest, beset, beleaguer, block, blockade, hem in, hedge in, wall in, lay siege to. 3. Attain, obtain, procure, accomplish, effect, perform, achieve, consummate, realize, carry, bring about, bring to pass. 4. (Law.) Meditate, contrive, plot, purpose, intend, devise. II. n. 1. Stretch, reach, extent, range, scope, limit, bound, boundary. 2. Circuit, round, circular course. 3. Mariner's or surveyor's compass, ship's compass, ship's compass, needle.

Moby Thesaurus

Gyrosin compass, Johansson block, RDF, T square, accept, accomplish, achieve, acquire, aesthetic distance, alentours, ambience, ambit, amount, annex, attain, beleaguer, beset, besiege, blockade, border line, borderlands, bound, boundaries, boundary, boundary condition, boundary line, bounds, bourn, bourns, box in, break boundary, breakoff point, bring off, bring through, cage, caliber, calipers, carry, carry off, catch, ceiling, chain, chamber, chromatic scale, circle, circuit, circuiteer, circulate, circumambiencies, circumambulate, circumference, circumjacencies, circummigrate, circumnavigate, circumscription, circumstances, circumvent, clearance, close, close in, close the circle, come full circle, compass about, comprehend, confine, confines, consummate, contain, context, coop, coop in, coop up, coordinates, cordon, cordon off, corral, crown with success, cut, cutoff, cutoff point, cycle, deadline, deal with, deep space, degree, delimitation, depths of space, describe a circle, determinant, dial, diapason, dig, dipstick, direction finder, discharge, dispatch, dispose of, distance, divergence, dividers, division line, do, do the job, do the trick, dodecuple scale, domain, edges, effect, effectuate, embay, embosom, embrace, enact, encircle, enclasp, enclose, enclosure, encompass, end, enfold, enharmonic scale, enshrine, entourage, envelop, environ, environing circumstances, environment, environs, enwrap, execute, extension, extent, extremity, farness, feeler gauge, fence in, fetch, field, finish, flank, floor, foot rule, fringes, frontier, fulfill, gain, gamut, gauge block, gestalt, get, get by, gird, girdle, girdle the globe, go about, go around, go round, go the round, goniometer, grade, gradiometer, graduated scale, grasp, great scale, gyre, gyrocompass, gyroscopic compass, gyrostatic compass, habitat, have, hedge, hedge in, height, hem, hem in, high-water mark, house in, impound, imprison, incarcerate, include, inertial navigation system, infinity, interface, interval, invest, involve, jail, kennel, knock off, land, lap, leaguer, leap, leeway, length, level, light-years, limen, limit, limitation, limitations, limiting factor, limits, line, line of demarcation, log, log line, loran, low-water mark, lower limit, magnetic compass, magnetic needle, major scale, make, make a circuit, manage, march, marches, margin, mark, measure, melodic minor, mete, meterstick, metes, metes and bounds, mew, mew up, micrometer, mileage, milieu, minor scale, needle, neighborhood, notch, nuance, obtain, octant, octave scale, orbit, outlines, outposts, outskirts, pale, parameters, parsecs, pas, peg, pen, pen in, pentatonic scale, perform, perimeter, period, periphery, perspective, piece, pitch, plane, plateau, plumb, plumb rule, pocket, point, polish off, precincts, procure, produce, proportion, protractor, pull off, purlieus, purview, put away, put over, put through, quadrant, quarantine, radio compass, radio direction finder, radius, rail in, range, ratio, reach, realize, register, remoteness, remove, restriction, revolve, ring, rod, round, rule, ruler, rung, scale, scope, sector, secure, see, separation, set square, sextant, shade, shadow, shoran, shrine, shut in, shut up, situation, skirt, skirts, space, span, spectrum, sphere, spiral, spirit level, square, stable, stair, standard, start, starting line, starting point, step, stint, stretch, stride, suburbs, succeed, surround, surroundings, sweep, take care of, take in, tape, tape measure, tapeline, target date, temperament, term, terminal date, terminus, theodolite, threshold, time allotment, total environment, transit, transit theodolite, tread, try square, tuning, turn the trick, twig, understand, upper limit, verges, vernier, vernier caliper, vicinage, vicinity, wall in, way, ways, wheel, whole-tone scale, win, work, work out, wrap, yard, yard up, yardstick