compass
Meaning
A device with a magnetized pointer that shows the direction of magnetic north and bearings from it.
An instrument for drawing circles and arcs and measuring distances between points, consisting of two arms linked by a movable joint.
The range or scope of something.
Structure
Usage
The hikers used a compass to find their way through the dense forest.
She used a compass to draw a perfect circle on her geometry worksheet.
The topic of artificial intelligence falls well within the compass of modern philosophy.
Etymology
The word "compass" entered English from Old French compas, meaning "circle, circuit, or measurement". This French term derived from the Vulgar Latin phrase compassare, "to pace out or measure by steps", which itself was formed from the Latin prefix com- (together, thoroughly) and passus (a step). The core logic is of measuring a space by walking its boundary step-by-step. This original sense of measuring or encircling evolved to name the drafting instrument for drawing circles and, later, the navigational instrument whose needle conceptually "encircles" or finds all directions within its scope. The abstract meaning of "range or extent" follows naturally from this idea of a bounded, measurable area.
Analysis
- com: Latin origin, a prefix meaning "together, with". - pass: From Latin passus, meaning "a step, pace".