compass
Pronunciation Noun
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Pronunciation Noun
compass (plural compasses)
- A magnetic or electronic device used to determine the cardinal directions (usually magnetic or true north).
- 1625, [Samuel] Purchas, “Of the Improvement of Nauigation in Later Times, […]”, in Pvrchas His Pilgrimes. […], 1st part, London: Printed by William Stansby for Henrie Fetherstone, […], OCLC 960103045 ↗, 2nd book, § I, page 2 ↗:
- [H]ow many Seas to our fore-fathers impaſſable, for want of the Compaſſe?
- 1689/1690, John Locke, On improvement of understanding
- He that [...] first discovered the use of the compass [...] did more for the propagation of knowledge [...] than those who built workhouses.
- 1890, Wilhelm Westhofen, The Forth Bridge
- a glance at his compass would have shown him that a northerly course instead of an easterly could not be right
- A pair of compasses (a device used to draw an arc or circle).
- 1701, Jonathan Swift, A Discourse of the Contests and Dissensions between the Nobles and the Commons in Athens and Rome, Chapter 5
- to fix one foot of their compass wherever they please
- 1701, Jonathan Swift, A Discourse of the Contests and Dissensions between the Nobles and the Commons in Athens and Rome, Chapter 5
- (music) The range of notes of a musical instrument or voice.
- c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act III, scene ii]:
- You would sound me from my lowest note to the top of my compass.
- (obsolete) A space#Noun|space within limit#Noun|limits; an area.
- 1763, M. Le Page Du Pratz, History of Louisiana (PG), page 47:
- In going up the Missisippi [sic], we meet with nothing remarkable before we come to the Detour aux Anglois, the English Reach: in that part the river takes a large compass.
- 1711, Joseph Addison, The Spectator
- Animals, in their generation, are wiser than the sons of men but their wisdom is confined to a few particulars, and lies in a very narrow compass.
- 1913, D.H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, chapter 14
- Clara thought she had never seen him look so small and mean. He was as if trying to get himself into the smallest possible compass.
- 1763, M. Le Page Du Pratz, History of Louisiana (PG), page 47:
- (obsolete) An enclosing#Adjective|enclosing limit; a boundary, a circumference.
- within the compass of an encircling wall
- 1624, John Smith, “The Present Estate of New-Plimoth”, in John Smith, The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles: […], London: Printed by I[ohn] D[awson] and I[ohn] H[aviland] for Michael Sparkes, OCLC 1049014009 ↗, book 6; republished as The Generall Historie of Virginia, [...], London: Printed by I[ohn] D[awson] and I[ohn] H[aviland] for Edward Blackmore, 1632, OCLC 55196040 ↗, page 247 ↗:
- [T]he Towne is impailed about halfe a mile compaſſe.
- Moderate bounds, limits of truth; moderation; due limits; used with within.
- c. 1610, John Davies, Historical Tracts
- In two hundred years before (I speak within compass), no such commission had been executed.
- c. 1610, John Davies, Historical Tracts
- (archaic) scope.
- 1814, William Wordsworth, The Excursion Book 8
- the compass of his argument
- 1748, David Hume, Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral, Oxford University Press (1973), section 8:
- There is a truth and falsehood in all propositions on this subject, and a truth and falsehood, which lie not beyond the compass of human understanding.
- 1844, Edgar Allan Poe, Marginalia
- How very commonly we hear it remarked that such and such thoughts are beyond the compass of words! I do not believe that any thought, properly so called, is out of the reach of language.
- 1814, William Wordsworth, The Excursion Book 8
- (obsolete) A passing round; circuit; circuitous course.
- 1611, King James Version, 2 Kings iii. 9
- They fetched a compass of seven days' journey.
- 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Ivlivs Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act V, scene iii]:
- This day I breathed first; time is come round, / And where I did begin, there shall I end; / My life is run his compass.
- 1611, King James Version, 2 Kings iii. 9
- (magnetic direction finder) magnetic compass
- (device used to draw circular curves) pair of compasses
- French: boussole
- German: Kompass, (nautical) Seekompass
- Italian: bussola
- Portuguese: bússola
- Russian: ко́мпас
- Spanish: brújula
- Russian: диапазо́н
- French: portée, étendue
- German: Umfang, Umkreis
- Portuguese: área, âmbito, alcance
- Russian: объём
- Spanish: área, ámbito, alcance
- Portuguese: limite
- Russian: охва́т
compass (compasses, present participle compassing; past and past participle compassed)
- To surround; to encircle; to environ; to stretch round.
- 1610, The Tempest, by William Shakespeare, act 5 scene 1
- Now all the blessings
- Of a glad father compass thee about!
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, Genesis 2:13 ↗:
- And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
- 1610, The Tempest, by William Shakespeare, act 5 scene 1
- To go about or round entirely; to traverse.
- (dated) To accomplish; to reach; to achieve; to obtain.
- 1763, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emilius; or, an essay on education, translated by M. Nugent, page 117:
- [...] they never find ways sufficient to compass that end.
- 1816, Catholicon: or, the Christian Philosopher, volume 3, from July to December 1816, page 56:
- [...] to settle the end of our action or disputation; and then to take fit and effectual means to compass that end.
- 1921 November 23, The New Republic, volume 28, number 364, page 2:
- The immediate problem is how to compass that end: by the seizure of territory or by the cultivation of the goodwill of the people whose business she seeks.
- 1763, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emilius; or, an essay on education, translated by M. Nugent, page 117:
- (dated) To plot; to scheme (against someone).
- 1600, The Arraignment and Judgement of Captain Thomas Lee, published in 1809, by R. Bagshaw, in Cobbett's Complete Collection of State Trials, volume 1, page 1403–04:
- That he plotted and compassed to raise Sedition and Rebellion [...]
- 1794 November 1, Speech of Mr. Erskine in Behalf of Hardy, published in 1884, by Chauncey Allen Goodrich, in Select British Eloquence, page 719:
- But it went beyond it by the loose construction of compassing to depose the King, [...]
- 1915, The Wireless Age, volume 2, page 580:
- The Bavarian felt a mad wave of desire for her sweep over him. What scheme wouldn't he compass to mould that girl to his wishes.
- 1600, The Arraignment and Judgement of Captain Thomas Lee, published in 1809, by R. Bagshaw, in Cobbett's Complete Collection of State Trials, volume 1, page 1403–04:
- (surround) encircle, environ, surround
- (go about or around entirely) cover, traverse
- (accomplish) accomplish, achieve, attain, gain, get to, reach
- (plot (against someone)) conspire, plot, scheme
- Russian: охва́тывать
compass
- (obsolete) In a circuit; round about.
- 1658, Sir Thomas Browne, Urne-Burial,[http://www.amazon.com/Urne-Burial-Penguin-Great-Thomas-Browne/dp/0141023910 ] Penguin (2005), ISBN 9780141023915, page 9:
- Near the same plot of ground, for about six yards compasse were digged up coals and incinerated substances, […]
- 1658, Sir Thomas Browne, Urne-Burial,[http://www.amazon.com/Urne-Burial-Penguin-Great-Thomas-Browne/dp/0141023910 ] Penguin (2005), ISBN 9780141023915, page 9:
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.004