Link Centre Dictionary

compass

com·pass

UK/ˈkəmpəs/ US/ˈkʌmpəs/ fairly common formal
noun (4) verb (3)

noun

1.
2.

an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"

  • “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”
Synonyms
3.

the limit of capability

  • “within the compass of education”
Synonyms
4.

drafting instrument used for drawing circles

verb

1.

provide or send (envoys or embassadors) with official credentials

2.

travel around, either by plane or ship

  • “We compassed the earth”
Synonyms
3.

get the meaning of something

  • “Do you comprehend the meaning of this letter?”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English compas (“a circle, circuit, limit, form, a mathematical instrument”), from Old French compas, from Medieval Latin compassus (“a circle, a circuit”), from Latin com- (“together”) + passus (“a pace, step, later a pass, way, route”); see pass, pace.

Phrases

  • all points of the compass
  • beam compass
  • bow compass
  • box the compass
  • Brunton compass
  • cabin compass
  • Chinese compass
  • color compass

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.