▪ I. compass, n.1 (a. and adv.)
(ˈkʌmpəs)
Forms: 3–6 compace, 3–7 -pas(e, 4–7 -passe, (5 compaas, 6 coom-, coumpasse), 4– compass; also 3–6 cumpas, 4 -pass, -pase, 4–6 -passe, 5 Sc. cumpaiss, (8 cumpace).
[a. F. compas (12th c. in Littré) ‘measure, pair of compasses, circle’; in mod.F. also ‘mariner's compass’; = Pr. compas, Sp. compas ‘pair of compasses, measure, rule of life, pattern’, Pg. compasso ‘pair of compasses’, It. compasso ‘a compasse, a round, also a paire of compasses’ (Florio); med.L. compassus = circinus pair of compasses (Du Cange). Cf. also Ger. compass, kompass, mariner's compass, formerly also gnomon, sun-dial, portable dial, Du. kompas, Sw. compass, kompass, Da. compas, Norw. kompas, (all) mariner's compass. (This is the exclusive sense in the Teutonic langs., as ‘pair of compasses’ is predominant in the Romanic.)
The history of this word and its associated verb in the Romanic langs. has not yet been determined, and it presents many points of uncertainty. It is doubtful whether the n. is Common Romanic (the Sp. being app. from Fr. or Pr.), and as yet uncertain whether the n. is derived from the vb., or the vb. from the n. If the n. was the origin, it would predicate a L. type *compassus, f. com- together or intensive + ? passus step, pace; if the vb. was the earlier, compassare would be ‘to pass or step together’ or ‘completely’ (see Diez passare), and *compassus, compasso, the action of doing so. The early history of the senses of the n. is equally obscure: in OF., ‘measure’, primarily perhaps ‘measure kept in walking together’, ‘artifice, subtilty’, and ‘pair of compasses’, appear all to be early senses; it is at present impossible to say whether the instrument took its name from ‘measuring’ or from ‘equal stepping’. It is probable that the sense ‘circumference, circle, round’ which is slightly exemplified in OF., but has received so great a development in Eng., is derived from the name of the instrument; but the converse is also possible; cf. L. circinus compasses, from circa round, etc.; also Ger. zirkel, (1) circle, (2) compasses. The later application to the Mariner's Compass, recognized in modern French, but chiefly developed in English and the Teut. langs., is also of obscure origin; it may easily have arisen out of the sense ‘circle’ or ‘circuit’, as showing the circle of the winds; but in German this sense appears to have been preceded by those of ‘gnomon’ and ‘sun-dial’, which may point in another direction. The Greek name of the circinus or compasses was διαβήτης, from διαβαίνειν to stride or walk with the legs apart, to stride, step, or pass over: it is not impossible that compassus and compassare may have been employed to render these words, and as διαβήτης also meant the gnomon of a sun-dial, it is conceivable that this indicates the way in which compassus came to be used for dial, and mariner's compass.
The OF. senses all appear early in ME. In the uncertainty as to the relations between these, it is impossible to arrange them in any certain order in Eng., and that adopted is merely provisional, and subject to alteration when Romanic scholars shall have ascertained the previous history of the word in their own domain.]
A. n. I. Measure, etc.
† 1. Measure, proper proportion, regularity: e.g. to keep even compass (cf. OF. tenir compas to keep step in marching); by compass (OF. par compas, à compas, It. a compasso), with measure and order, with regularity, regularly. Obs.
| c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 944 Ho watz þe fayrest in felle, of flesche & of lyre, & of compas, & colour, & costes of alle other. c 1400 Rom. Rose 3208 Nature hadde nevere such a grace, To forge a werk of such compace [Fr. de tel compas]. 1475 Caxton Jason 92 b, Vignes and trees hyly conduyted by compass. 1612 Brinsley Lud. Lit. iv. (1627) 32 To keepe even compasse in the height, greatnesse, and breadth of his letters. |
2. ‘Moderate space, moderation, due limits’ (J.);
esp. in
within compass or
out of compass:
i.e. within or beyond the bounds of moderation.
Obs. exc. dial. [Possibly arising out of the sense ‘measure’, but certainly related also to sense 9.]
| 1579 Tomson Calvin's Serm. Tim. 59/2 We cannot bring our selues in compasse vnder it, vnlesse God draws vs to it. Ibid. 133/1 Wee haue need of some order and bridle, to hold vs within our compasse. 1612 Davies Why Ireland, etc. (J.), In two hundred years before (I speak within compass) no such commission has been executed. 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 61, I should not speake much out of compasse, should I say as large as a bushell. 1632 H. Seile Avgvstvs 166 To keepe these [malecontents] in compasse, Avgvstvs..constituted a Provost of the Citie. 1701 Jer. Collier Antoninus 179 Which..keeps those Things which Decay from running out of Compass. 1742 Richardson Pamela III. 384, I must keep within Compass. 1887 S. Chesh. Gloss. s.v., To ‘speak i' compass’ is to speak within limits, to speak guardedly. |
II. Artifice, skilful or crafty device.
† 3. a. Designing, skilful devising, ingenuity; passing into the bad sense of craft, subtilty, cunning. In later use closely associated with the
vb. in sense 2: compassing, contriving.
Obs.| a 1300 Cursor M. 8797 (Cott.) To fest, wit compas slei, Vr warc to-geder. c 1320 Cast. Loue 739 A trone Of white iuori..Wiþ cumpas iþrowen and with gin al ido. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame i. 462 How maugre Iuno, Eneas, For al hir sleight and hir compas, Acheved al his aventure. c 1400 Destr. Troy 523 With a compas of clennes to colour hir speche. 1521 St. Werburge (1848) 35 Castynge in his mynde craftely by compas How he myght optayne to the hye empyre. 1526 Wolsey in Strype Eccl. Mem. I. i. v. 66 His refusal proceeded of no manner of compass or intent to protract time for any sinister purpose. 1579 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 92 If it come to passe as it is lyke by my compasse. 1597 Bacon Coulers Good & Evil ix. (Arb.) 152 Incident to those things that proceede from our owne care, and compasse. |
† b. A crafty contrivance or artifice; a stratagem.
| 1540 Act 32 Hen. VIII, c. 32 §2 By meanes and compasses to proue a procontracte. 1550 Latimer Last Serm. bef. Edw. VI, i. 242 These fellows that have their fetches and their far compasses to bring things to their purposes. 1558–9 Act 1 Eliz. c. 5 §1 Yf any person doo compas or imagyn to deprive the Quenes ma{supt}{supi}⊇ and the same Compasses or Imaginacions..shall or doo utter. |
III. The mathematical instrument.
4. a. An instrument for taking measurements and describing circles, consisting (in its simplest form) of two straight and equal legs connected at one end by a movable joint. Now
gen. in
pl.; also
pair of compasses.
Modifications of this instrument are the bow-compasses;
beam-,
calliper- hair-compasses, etc. Similar instruments for describing figures other than circles are specified by a corresponding
adj., as
elliptic,
oval,
triangular compasses; also
proportional compasses: see these
adjs.| α [c 1340 Cursor M. 9947 (Trin.) A tour faire of yuory..Craftily casten wiþ a compas. But earlier MSS. wiþ compas.] 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) II. 303 [Perdix] made þe firste compas. c 1391 Chaucer Astrol. ii. §40 [I] Cleped þat on poynt of my compas A, & þat other poynt F. c 1450 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 727/11 Hic circinus, a compas. 1570 Dee Math. Pref. 40 Geometrie..teacheth the Vse of the Rule and the Cumpasse. a 1745 Swift (J.), To fix one foot of their compass wherever they think fit. 1841–4 Emerson Ess., Love Wks. (Bohn) I. 76 Defined by compass and measuring-wand. |
| β 1555 Eden Decades W. Ind. ii. x. (Arb.) 134 We tooke owre compases & beganne to measure the sea coastes. 1594 Blundevil Exerc. v. (ed. 7) 589 How to make with your Compasses a perpendicular line to fall from any point giuen vpon another right line. 1667 Milton P.L. vii. 224 In his hand He took the golden Compasses, prepar'd..to circumscribe This Universe. 1831 Brewster Optics iv. 38 Some point..where..one foot of the compasses is placed. |
| γ 1551 Recorde Castle Knowl. (1556) 37 Haue a payre of compasse aptelye made for to draw the circles. 1790 in Archæol. X. 133 A pair of brass compasses, one of the legs of which is broken off. 1840 Ibid. XXVIII. 378 A pair of curious brass compasses or dividers. |
b. Name of a small southern constellation.
| 1837 Penny Cycl. VII. 185/1 Circinus, the Compasses, a constellation..not very far from the South Pole. |
c. humorously,
Coryate's compasses: one's legs.
| 1864 Lowell Fireside Trav. 280, I resolved to give up my saddle to the boy, and try Tom Coryate's compasses. |
IV. Circumference, circle, curve; bound.
† 5. a. A circumference, a circle.
Obs.| 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 7586 Þe erth..Es bot als a poynt Imyddes a compase. 1393 Gower Conf. III. 92 As the point in a compas Stant even amiddes. c 1400 Mandeville x. 38 A lytill hous made in maner of half a cumpas. 1413 Lydg. Pilgr. Sowle iii. iv. (1483) 52 The compas of this whele was fitched ful of hokes. c 1470 Henry Wallace viii. 227 All Wallace ost in till a cumpaiss baid. 1530 Palsgr. 207/2 Compas, a cercle or rondell. 1551 Recorde Pathw. Knowl. i. xxvii, Now sette I one fote of the compas in G, and extend the other foote vnto H, and so drawe a compas. 1555 Eden Decades W. Ind. i. ix. (Arb.) 98 Men ioyninge handes togyther & standinge in coompasse. 1613 R. C. Table Alph. (ed. 3) Semicircle, halfe a circle or compasse. 1621 Burton Anat. Mel. ii. ii. iii. (1651) 245 If the world is 21,500 miles in compass, its Diameter is 7000. 1655 E. Terry Voy. E. India 347 They make a little Circle upon the ground..after which they sit down within that Compasse. |
† b. Anything circular in shape,
e.g. the globe, the horizon; also, a circlet or ring.
| c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame iii. 212 To telle..of these yates florysynges ne of compases ne of kervenges. c 1394 P. Pl. Crede 123 Crist in compas of gold In þe wide windowe westwarde. c 1475 Partenay 6270 All rounde the compas though man be sekyng, In all the worlde so noble king is noght. 1583 Stanyhurst æneis iii. (Arb.) 73 With seed of æneas shal coompasse earthlye be ruled. 1611 Coryat Crudities 455 About the middest goeth a compasse of brasse. 1681 W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. (1693) 567 The compass of the eye, orbita. |
† c. Phrase:
a compass to,
in (the) compass of, around, round.
| c 1325 Childh. Jesus 1660 (Mätz.) Isette huy weren a compas To a bord þare inne was. c 1350 Ps. lxxviii. in Pref. Wyclif's Bible p. iv. note, In the cumpas of Jerusalem. 1382 Wyclif Mark iii. 34 Biholdynge hem..that saten in the cumpas of hym. ― Rev. iv. 3 A reynbowe was in cumpas of the seete. 1526 Tindale Rev. vii. 11 All the angelles stode in the compace of the seate. |
† 6. a. A circular arc, sweep, curve.
Obs.| 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. (Arb.) 120 Your bowe [must] be well trymmed..that it may come rounde in trew compasse euery where. 1563 Shute Archit. B j b, Constrained the braunches..to draw downwardes againe with a sertaine compasse. 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. ii. 3 There doth begin the compasse and bearing of the ship. 1637 Blunt Voy. Levant 28 The Promontory..hath two sides encompassed by Sea..with a compasse turning from West to North. 1697 Potter Antiq. Greece iii. iv. (1715) 49 Slings..somewhat broad in the middle, with an oval Compass, and so by little and little decreasing into two Thongs. |
b. Archery. The curved path described by an arrow; the angle of elevation as determining this path;
cf. C. 3 b.
| 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. (Arb.) 133 The shaft in flyenge.. if it flye far, it flyeth a round compace. Ibid. 145 In drawyng [of the bow] some set suche a compasse, as thoughe they woulde tourne about. 1613 Chapman Rev. Bussy D'Ambois Plays (1873) II. 156 Tis the..compasse giuen it by the Archer That makes it hit or misse. 1830 Strutt's Sports & Past. (1876) 124 A good archer..ought also..to be well acquainted with what compass his arrows would require in their flight. |
7. a. The circumference, boundary, enclosing line or limits of any space or area.
| a 1300 [see C. 1]. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 8931 Wyþynne þe compas of þe stones [of Stonehenge]. c 1400 Mandeville vi. 21 Þe compas of þe citee..contenes xxv. myle aboute. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 611 Jack Cade, entending to bring the king farther within the compasse of his nette. 1570–6 Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 235 A Palaice..the compasse whereof may be traced out by the ruines of an olde Wall there. 1865 Ruskin Sesame 3 A grave subject..and a wide one..so wide that I shall make no effort to touch the compass of it. |
b. Measurement round, circuit, girth. (
Cf. 11.)
| 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 269 The largenesse and compasse of all creatures corporall. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 95 The Caspian Sea is in compasse neere three thousand miles. 1781 J. Moore View Soc. It. (1790) I. ii. 21 A fortification of between two and three miles in compass. 1864 Burton Scot Abr. II. ii. 179 Greater in his compass of body, than any within six kingdoms about him. 1882 Shorthouse J. Inglesant xxix, Within the confines of the Duke's chase, thirty miles in compass. |
8. a. Circumscribed area or space; in wider sense, space, area, extent.
In many uses this and the
prec. sense are not separable;
cf. the ordinary use of ‘circumference’ for ‘circle’. (Here
perh. belongs Chaucer's
trine compas, explained by Prof. Skeat as ‘threefold space,
i.e. of the earth, the sea, and the heavens’. But other explanations have been attempted.)
| a 1300 Cursor M. 21640 (Cott.) In þis compas godd all has left. c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. B. 319 A wyndow..In þe compas of a cubit kyndely s[q]ware. c 1386 Chaucer Sec. Nun's T. 45 Of the tryne compas lord and gyde..Whom erthe and see and heuene out of relees Ay heryen. 1535 Coverdale 2 Macc. i. 15 He entred with a small company into the compasse of the temple. 1580 North Plutarch (1676) 5 A certain compass inclosed all about within the Temple. 1685 Manch. Court Leet Rec. (1888) VI. 231 Lambert Henton hath pailed out a certaine Compas of land. c 1710 C. Fiennes Diary (1888) 27 The Lord's prayer and ten Commandments [written] in the Compass of a Crown piece. 1839 Thirlwall Greece II. 363 The..towering hopes of Athens demanded that the new wall should inclose a larger compass. |
b. transf. and
fig. Of time, etc.
| 1573 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden Soc.) 53 Within the cumpas of that worthi Emperors reign. 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. i. 3, I shall draw out the Description in as small a compass as it can be. 1734 tr. Rollin's Anc. Hist. (1827) III. 259 In the compass of one verse. 1818 Cruise Digest VI. 517 Confined to the compass of a life. 1844 Ld. Brougham Brit. Const. (1862) 94 Within the compass of the last four chapters. 1870 Bryant Iliad I. x. 304 Who in the compass of a day performed Such mighty deeds. |
9. fig. a. Bounds, limits, as in
within, beyond the compass of (sight, knowledge, power, ability, etc.); range or extent within limits; and, more generally, range, reach, sphere, scope.
| 1555 in Strype Eccl. Mem. III. App. xlvii. 143 The saide witnessis..have deposed of malice..beside and without the compasse of the same articles. 1570 Dee Math. Pref. 46 Studies: not falling within the Cumpasse of their Capacitie. 1604 Shakes. Oth. iii. iv. 21 To do this, is within the compasse of mans Wit. 1639 Fuller Holy War i. i. (1647) 1 It cometh within the compasse of our belief. 1655 W. F. Meteors ii. 30 It never goeth down out of the compass of sight, though it be not seen in the day-time for the brightness of the Sun. Ibid. iii. 57 Clouds..without the compass of our sight. 1736 Butler Anal. Introd. 4 The Extent, Compass, and Force, of analogical Reasoning. 1822 Hazlitt Table-t. II. vii. 163 Many men..have not a compass of soul to take an interest in any thing truly great. 1823 De Quincey Let. Educ. i. (1860) 14 Distinguished for variety and compass of power. 1870 Bowen Logic 6 The limited compass of the human mind. |
b. spec. Intellectual range.
| 1727 Swift To Yng. Lady, To discourse of arts and sciences out of your compass. 1737 Waterland Eucharist 7 He will..fall short in most Things, for want of Compass, and larger Views. |
10. Music. The full range of tones which a voice or muscial instrument is capable of producing.
| 1597 Morley Introd. Mus. 7 Phi. Why then was your Scale deuised of xx. notes? Ma. Because that compasse was the reach of most voyces. 1602 Shakes. Ham. iii. ii. 383 You would sound mee from my lowest Note, to the top of my Compasse. 1709 Addison Tatler No. 157 ¶4 A Flute, an Instrument..without any great Compass. 1870 Emerson Soc. & Solit., Eloquence Wks. (Bohn) III. 24 Of all the musical instruments on which men play, a popular assembly is that which has the largest compass and variety. |
V. Circuit, round, circuitous course. (
Cf. 7 b.)
11. a. Circular movement, course, or journey, circuit, round; a roundabout journey, a detour.
arch.| 1382 Wyclif Rom. xv. 19 From Jerusalem by cumpas [per circuitum] til vnto Illiryk I haue fulfillid the gospel of Crist. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. Prol. 199 They wenten in compas, Daunsinge aboute this flour. c 1510 More Picus Wks. 19/1 Wicked men walke about in a circuit or coumpasse. 1578 T. N. tr. Conq. W. India 358 He..shewed with stirring his feete the compasses and pointes of the daunce. 1608–11 Bp. Hall Occas. Medit. (1851) 42 The hawk..towers up, by many gradual compasses, to his highest pitch. 1698 Froger Voy. 100 The Portuguese..save a large Compass that others are oblig'd to make. c 1710 C. Fiennes Diary (1888) 114 A..hill..so steepe..few Coaches but gaines the top of it by a Compass round it. |
b. A circuit of time, round, revolution.
| 1601 Shakes. Jul. C. v. iii. 25 Where I did begin, there shall I end: My life is run his compasse. 1609 Bible (Douay) 1 Chron. xx. 1 It came to passe after the compasse of a yeare [post anni circulum]. |
† c. A roundabout expression, a circumlocution.
| 1623 Lisle ælfric on O. & N.T. Pref. 14 Out of this compasse can he not goe. 1712 J. James tr. Le Blond's Gardening 86 A tedious Compass of Words and Terms. |
d. phr. to cast, † fet, fetch, go, take a compass: to take a circular or circuitous course, make a circuit or detour;
† rarely, to form a circle;
fig. to act or speak in a roundabout manner, digress.
| c 1430 Henryson Mor. Fab. (1865) 185 He kest ane compas far about. 1535 Coverdale Eccl. i. 5 The wynde goeth towarde y⊇ South, & fetcheth his compase aboute vnto the North. a 1555 Latimer in Strype Eccl. Mem. III. ii. 98 A Man that..hath his Journey's End before him, what Madnes were it for him to fet farther Compas about. 1611 Bible Acts xxviii. 13 From thence wee fet a compasse, and came to Rhegium. 1654 Evelyn Diary 31 July, Taking leave of Cadenham we went a compass into Leicestershire. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 72 To take a compass round behind the pirates camp. 1837 De Quincey Revolt Tartars Wks. 1863 IV. 165 Troops of deer..fetching a compass by way of re-entering the forest grounds. |
| fig. 1677 Gilpin Demonol. (1867) 56 He falls not directly upon what he intended..but fetcheth a compass. a 1693 Tillotson Serm. (1743) VII. 2251 What a compass do many men fetch to go to heaven, by innumerable devices. a 1847 Mrs. Sherwood Lady of Manor II. xiv. 240 The compass commonly fetched before the pupil can be conducted to the point intended. |
VI. The Mariner's Compass.
12. a. An instrument for determining the magnetic meridian, or one's direction or position with respect to it, consisting of a magnetized needle turning freely on a pivot; notably employed in the guidance of a ship's course at sea (the
Mariner's or
Seaman's compass).
The mariner's compass consists essentially of three parts, the bowl or
box (
n.2, sense 15), containing the
card (
n.2, sense 4) on which the 32
points of the compass are marked (see
point), and the
needle. According to its position or use on ship-board it is distinguished as
binnacle-,
hanging-,
standard,
steering-compass, etc.
to box the compass: see
box v.
1 12; Also in the same sense
to say the (or one's) compass compass.
| c 1515 Cocke Lorell's B. (Percy Soc.) 12 Some the anker layde..One kepte y⊇ compas and watched y⊇ our glasse. 1521 Test. Ebor. (Surtees) V. 140 Item that I gif William Tyngaite my cardyd and my best compas. 1552 Abp. Hamilton Catech. (1884) 28 Ane skyppar can nocht gyde his schip to ane gud hevin without direction of his compas. 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. viii. 35 The boyes..every Munday..to say their compasse. 1664 Evelyn Kal. Hort. (1729) 222 Remember in all Transplantings to observe the..Quarter of the Compass. 1699 W. Dampier Voy. II. iii. v. 58 A Tornado..causes the Winds to shift all round the Compass. 1823 W. Scoresby Jrnl. N. Whale Fishery 145 On the 12, we had the wind almost all round the compass. 1875 Bedford Sailor's Pocket-bk. ii. (ed. 2) 43 When the ship has been placed on her proper course by the Standard Compass, the helmsman will notice the point shown by the Binnacle Compass as being that to which he has to attend. |
b. (Varieties of this instrument are specially constructed for particular purposes.
Such are the
azimuth compass (see
azimuth 2), the
dip compass,
surveying compass,
variation compasses, etc.)
| 1703 Art's Improv. p. xv, There are now..diverse sorts or kinds of Compasses; as Azimuth Compasses, Meridian Compasses, Variation Compasses, Amplitude Compasses, Hanging Compasses, Pocket Compasses. 1832 Nat. Philos., Magnetism vi. 60 (Usef. Knowl. Soc.) The land or surveying-compass..furnished with sights, and means for reading off the degrees on the card. Ibid. vi. 61 The Variation Compass designed to exhibit the diurnal changes of variation in the horizontal magnetic needle. 1881 Raymond Mining Gloss., Compass. An instrument like the ordinary nautical or surveyor's compass..having a clinometer attached. Also, a dip-compass, for tracing magnetic iron ore, having a needle hung to move in a vertical plane. |
c. fig.| 1601 Cornwallyes Ess. ii. xlviii. (1631) 307 It shall bee..by chance: a compasse too uncertaine for Justice to saile by. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 221 margin, Gods Providence the best compasse. 1649 Eikon Basilike 117 Profit is the Compasse by which Factious men steer their course. 1845 M{supc}Culloch Taxation i. iii. (1852) 90 From whatever point of the political compass we may set out. |
13. Conchol. A kind of shell-fish.
| 1776 Da Costa Elem. Conchol. 245 Sometimes the valves are differently coloured, as the Compass, or Sole, which has one valve of a chestnut brown. |
B. adj. Round, circular, curved. (Still in technical use:
cf. D.)
| 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §136 It is sette in a compasse pece of yren. 1563 B. Googe Eglogs (Arb.) 113 Ptholome, with Compasse Globe in hande. 1587 Mirr. Mag., Albanact. xxvii, The Compasse pathes of euery ayrye sphere. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1673) 212 The Dogs..run along..through rough and plain, crooked and straight, direct and compass. 1751 Chesterfield Lett. III. 142 A compass ring set round with little diamonds. 1766 Entick London IV. 100 The north front..has a triangular instead of the two compass pediments. |
C. adv. [
Cf. in compass.]
† 1. In compass, in circuit, ‘all round’.
Obs. (Unless
compass is a
n. and the construction as in ‘ten miles' distance’.)
| a 1300 Cursor M. 2275 (Cott.) Þis tour was..ten mile compas al aboute. 1587 Fleming Contn. Holinshed III. 1355/2 With teeth of three quarters of a yard Compas. |
† 2. In a circle, round.
Obs.| c 1400 Gamelyn 629 All sate at þe mete compas aboute. |
† 3. a. In a circular arc or curve, curvedly.
Obs.| 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. (Arb.) 133 In drawyng, it [the bow] must come rounde compasse. 1559 Morwyng Evonym. 245 The tyles must be cut and hewed compas. 1573 Cooper Thesaurus, Classis lunata..a ship bending compasse like a Moone. 1606 B. Jonson Masque Hymen Note, Wks. (Rtldg.) 558 They [mantles] were fastened on the right shoulder, and fell compass down the back in gracious folds. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1673) 222 Some again cut it [horse's mane] to stand compass like a bow. 1655 J. Webb Stone-Heng (1725) 88 The Architraves were..wrought compass, exactly, according to the Circumference of their respective Circle. |
† b. Archery.
to shoot compass: to shoot at an elevation, so as to allow for the curve of the projectile.
Obs. Cf. A. 6 b.
| 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. i. (Arb.) 101 Ye take so great heade, to kepe youre standynge, to shoote compasse. Ibid. ii. 107. 1611 Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. xi. §24 They shot their Arrowes Compasse, with purpose to kill or gall such Scots as came to the execution. |
| fig. 1630 Shirley Grateful Serv. v. i, Shoot not so much compass, be brief, and answer me. |
† 4. Through a complete cycle or round; ‘all round the clock’ or ‘compass’.
Obs. (
Cf. circle 17 c.)
| 1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 323 Perceiued at ye last his olde Hat againe to come into the new fashion, wherewith..he sayde, I haue now lyued compasse, for Adams olde apron must make Eue a new kirtle. |
D. Comb., as (sense 4)
compass-joint; (sense 12)
compass-bowl,
compass box,
compass-card,
compass-face,
compass-needle,
compass-point;
compass-bar, (see
quot.);
compass-bearings, bearings taken by the compass;
compass-brick (see
quot.);
compass-callipers = calliper compasses (see
calliper);
compass course, a course steered by compass;
spec. Naut. and
Aeronaut., the line of direction indicated by the compass but not actually taken by a boat or airship, allowance having been made for deviation caused by wind, currents, etc.;
† compass-dial, a portable sun-dial adjustable by an attached compass-needle;
compass-flower,
-plant, a N. American composite (
Silphium laciniatum) with large much-divided leaves, of which the lower ‘are said to present their faces uniformly north and south’ (Asa Gray); also other plants whose leaves are supposed to show a like tendency,
e.g. the Prickly Lettuce (
Lactuca scariola);
compass-headed a., having a semicircular head;
† compass-heart (see
quot.: apparently a literal rendering of the Greek περικάρδιον);
compass-plane (
-smoothing-plane), a smoothing-plane having a convex sole and iron, used for planing concave surfaces;
compass-roof (see
quots.);
compass-saw, a saw with a narrow blade for cutting out curves of moderate size;
compass-signal, a signal denoting a point of the compass;
compass-stock, a curved stock;
compass-timber, curved timber,
esp. as used for ship-building;
compass-window, a semicircular bay-window (
cf. compassed 3 b). Also
† compass-wise adv.| 1874 Knight Dict. Mech., *Compass-bar, a fixed iron ring in the silver-from-lead-extracting furnace. |
| 1823 W. Scoresby Jrnl. N. Whale Fishery 322 The mast-head..was the only part of the ship where *compass-bearings could be relied on. 1862 Ansted Channel Isl. ii. x. (ed. 2) 254 The compass-bearing of the principal veins. |
| 1797 Nicholson Jrnl. Nat. Philos. I. 426 The needle is usually supported on a steel point which occupies the axis of..the *compass box. |
| 1703 T. N. City & C. Purch. 38 *Compass-bricks..are of a Circular Form, their use is for Steening of Wells. |
| 1706 Phillips, *Compass-Callipers, an Instrument us'd by Gunners, which resembles two Semi-circles. |
| 1874 Knight Dict. Mech., *Compass-card..is usually attached to the needle. 1875 Chamb. Jrnl. 79. |
| 1851 Family Friend IV. 294/1 Compass, which registers upon paper the *compass course which a vessel has been steered in for twenty-four hours. 1880 C. R. Markham Peruv. Bark 201 To shape a direct compass-course over the cordilleras from Sandia to Vilque. 1900 Westm. Gaz. 13 Jan. 3/2 It is not a simple matter to keep a given compass course at night. 1916 H. Barber Aeroplane Speaks 39 Our compass course will then be in the direction A–E. Ibid. 41 A very simple way of calculating the compass course. |
| 1632 Lithgow Trav. viii. (1682) 360 Holding our Course North-East, my *Compass-Dyal being our guide. 1727–51 Chambers Cycl. s.v., Compass-dials are small dials, fitted in boxes, for the pocket; to show the hour of the day by direction of the needle. |
| 1847 Longfellow Ev. ii. iv, Look at this delicate plant..its leaves all point to the north, as true as the magnet, It is the *compass flower. |
| 1850 Weale Dict. Terms, *Compass-headed, in ancient architecture, circular. |
| 1594 T. B. La Primaud. Fr. Acad. ii. 221 The heart hath for his next dwelling house a membrane or skinne called..Pericardion, which signifieth..a *compasse-heart. |
| 1874 Knight Dict. Mech., *Compass-joint, a form of joint usual in compasses, in which one leg has a circular disk or two, clamped between other disks belonging to the fellow leg. |
| 1797 Nicholson Jrnl. Nat. Philos. I. 427 A *compass-needle supported on a simple point. 1866 Herschel Fam. Lect. Sc., The Sun 79 The causes of the Compass needle pointing to the North. |
| 1850 Weale Dict. Terms s.v., The use of the *compass-plane is to form a concave cylindrical surface. |
| 1848 Gray Man. Bot. 219 *Compass-plant. 1870 Gard. Chron. Sept. 1213 The compass plant, a wild sunflower of the western prairies. 1882 Alvard in Amer. Naturalist xvi. 626 Compass Plant..The property is best exhibited in the radical leaf, which presents its faces to the rising and setting sun. |
| 1597 J. Payne Royal Exch. 34 The *compass poynt directinge to the haven. |
| 1850 Weale Dict. Terms, *Compass-roof, a roof in which the braces of the timbers are inclined so as to form a sort of arch. |
| 1678 Moxon Mech. Exerc. vi. 100 The *Compass-Saw should not have its Teeth Set as other Saws have. 1881 Mechanic §380 The compass-saw is also used for circular work. |
| 1725 W. Halfpenny Sound Building 25 With a *Compass Smoothing-Plane..plane the Inside thereof. |
| 1866 Froude in Athenæum 392/3 Harquebuss with a *compass-stock. |
| 1686 Lond. Gaz. 2122/4 Any Woods convertible to Streight, *Compass or Knee Tymber or Plank, fit for the Service of His Majesties Navy. 1793 Smeaton Edystone L. §42 He encompassed those two courses with circular, or what is technically called compass timbers. |
| 1621 Lady M. Wroth Urania 102 Her Ladies..were a little distant from her in a faire *compasse Window. c 1700 C. Fiennes Diary (1888) 19 Another large dineing roome with great Compass windows. |
| 1545 T. Raynalde Byrth Mankynde 59 Which..he made soo *compase wyse and caue or holowe in the middes, that, etc. 1551 T. Wilson Logike 45 b, The element goeth compasse wise because it is rounde. 1616 Surfl. & Markh. Country Farm 684 The old Harts..hauing..their hornes set with pearles, and strait and large heads, rather open than turned compasse-wise. |
▪ II. † ˈcompass, n.2 Obs. Also 6–7
compas(se, 7–
poss.
A corruption of
compost, prevalent in 16–17th c.
| 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 50 Lay on more compas, and fallow agen. 1613 Markham Eng. Husbandman i. i. vii. (1635) 38 The best Manure or Compasse..that you can give such ground. 1616 Surfl. & Markh. Country Farm 335 Earth, mudde, and other compas. 1669 Worlidge Syst. Agric. (1681) 323 Compas, or Compost. a 1700 Dryden Fables, Cock & Fox 269 A cart he found That carry'd composs forth to dung the ground. 1730–6 in Bailey (folio), Compas. |
▪ III. compass, v.1 (
ˈkʌmpəs)
Forms: see
compass n.1 pa. tense and pple. 4–
compassed; also 4–7
compast.
[a. F. compasse-r (12th c. in Littré), to measure, design, contrive, regulate, adjust; cf. Pr., Sp. compasar ‘to measure with a compass, to compass about’ (Minsheu), It. compassare to measure with compasses, to weigh in the mind, ‘to compasse about’ (Florio):—L. type *compassāre. See the n.] I. To plan, contrive, devise.
† 1. trans. To plan, design, contrive, devise (a work of art).
Obs.| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 8807 In Aufrik were þey [stones of Stonehenge] compassed & wrought. a 1400–50 Alexander 3219 Þe palais..þat compast was of Cusys [Cyrus]. Ibid. 3629 Ane instrument all of iren..Was compast on carte-wise. 1430 Lydg. Chron. Troy i. vi, I can not paynt nor compasse No gay processe. |
† b. absol.| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xix. 235 He tauȝte..some to compas craftily & coloures to make. Ibid. xvii. 170 The fyngres fourmen a ful hande to purtreye or peynten Keruynge and compassynge as crafte of þe fyngres. |
2. To contrive, devise, machinate (a purpose). Usually in a bad sense: see
quots. 1292, 1491.
| [1292 Britton i. ix. [viii.] §2 Graunt tresoun est a compasser nostre mort. 1351 Act 25 Edw. III, Stat. v. c. 2 Q{supa}nt homme fait compasser ou ymaginer la mort nostre Seign{supr} le Roi.] 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 109 To suc[h] ende yt was y-come as he hadde y-compaced in ys þoȝt. c 1315 Shoreham 113 He compasyth venjaunce to hym þat aȝen clenketh. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 98 He þouht to compas ille, þe same tille him did he. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 1539 Hipsiphile & Medea, Al this was compassed on the nyghte Betwix him Jason, and this Ercules. 1491 Act 1 Hen. VII, c. 23 Pream., Richard White..traitrously ymagened and compassed the dethe..of our seid Souvereigne Lord. 1659 W. Brough Sacr. Princ. 251 To contrive mischiefs, and to compasse designes of vanity. 1681 Trial S. Colledge 119 To compasse or imagine the imprisonment of the King. 1860 Motley Netherl. (1868) II. xv. 249 England, whose desolation is thus sought and compassed. 1888 W. D. Hamilton Cal. State Papers, Dom. Series 1644, Pref. 22 The Parliament..compassing the destruction of the Throne. |
b. with
inf. phr. or
subord. clause.
| c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. B. 1455 For to compas & kest to haf hem clene wroȝt. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 1410 Hipsiphile & Medea, Compassede he How Jason myghte best destroyed be. 1513 More Rich. III, Wks. 42/1 His uncle hadde coumpassed to rule the kynge. 1848 Act 11 Vict. (Better Security of Crown), If any person..shall compass..to deprive or depose our Most Gracious Lady the Queen. |
† c. absol. or intr. Obs.| 1430 Lydg. Chron. Troy i. ii, Double as Tygre slyghtly to compace. 14.. Epiph. in Tundale's Vis. (1843) 108 Thowgh thow with wordis honny swete Maliciously upon her deth compasse They schall askape. |
† 3. To consider, ponder, meditate, ‘go through’.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 10115 He..ay compast þe cases in his clene hert. 1513 Douglas æneis x. iii. 96 Eneas, That with hymself can mony thing cumpas. 1534 Whitinton Tullyes Offices i. (1540) 26 Whan thou hast compaced [lustraveris] all by reason and by thy mynde. |
† b. intr., or with
obj. clause.
Obs.| c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1196 Þe lede.. Compast in his concience to quat þat cace myȝt Mene. c 1400 Rom. Rose 6934 Fulle fast, iwys, compassen we By what ladder he is clomben. 1513 Douglas æneis vii. Prol. 151 Wythin my mynd compassing thocht I so. |
II. † 4. To describe with compasses (a circle).
| c 1391 Chaucer Astrol. i. §18 Up-on this forseide plate ben compassed certein cerclis þat hihten Almicanteras. 1393 Gower Conf. III. 108 Signes twelve, Which have her cerclis by hem selve Compassed in the zodiaque. |
III. To go or come round, put round, encompass.
literally.
In senses 5–8 often extended by
round,
about; in senses 5–7 also with
in.
5. trans. To pass or move round; to traverse in a circular or circuitous course, make the circuit of.
| 1382 Wyclif Matt. xxiii. 15 Woo to you scribis and Pharisees..that cumpasen [1388 goon aboute] the se and the lond, that ȝe maken o proselyte. 1388 ― Josh. vi. 3 Alle ȝe fiȝteris, cumpasse [1382 go about] the citee. a 1498 J. Warkworth Chron. an. 1472 It [the comet] compassed rounde abowte alle the erthe. 1570 Levins Manip. 34/45 To compasse, circuire. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. viii. 25 The Bisquayn Ship..wherein Magellan compassed the World. 1697 W. Dampier Voy. (1698) I. vi. 132 Having now compast in the whole Continent of South America. 1860 Kingsley Misc. I. 123 A generation which will compass land and sea to make one proselyte. |
b. absol. or intr. To go round, make a circuit.
| 1382 Wyclif Luke ix. 6 Sothli thei gon out, cumpassiden bi castels, euangelisinge and heeling euerewhere. 1582 N. T. (Rhem.) Acts xxviii. 13 Thence compassing by the shore, we came to Rhegium. 1598 W. Phillips Linschoten in Arb. Garner III. 25 The San Felipe..was compelled to compasse about, and came to Cochin. 1605 Verstegan Dec. Intell. vi. (1628) 156 He will compase into Germany, Denmarke, Norway and Sweden. |
† c. causative. (?) To send round.
Obs.| c 1485 Digby Mist. (1882) iii. 1467, I com nott to þe [King of Marsile] for no decepcyon, But þat good lord crist hether me compassyd. |
d. with cognate
obj. to compass (a course, circuit, voyage, period, etc.).
| 1583 Stanyhurst æneis iv. (Arb.) 107 Why so may not Troian theire course to good Italye coompasse? 1629 J. Cole Of Death 35 When his life hath compassed his course. 1832 H. Martineau Ireland iii. 48 Who had compassed a circuit of observation in a different direction. |
6. To come round, close round, as a multitude; to form a circle about, surround, with friendly or hostile intent; to hem in; sometimes
spec. ‘to beleaguer, besiege, block’ (J.).
Cf. encompass.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 10292 The Mirmydons..compast the knight, closit hym within. 1535 Coverdale Ps. xxvi[i]. 6 Myne enemies..compassed me rounde aboute. 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Matt. ii. 26 Compassing in all the yong children. 1577 Hanmer Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1619) 75 Such as compassed the tribunall seate. 1604 James I Counterbl. (Arb.) 107 Although in his siege..he do belaie and compasse it round about. 1611 Heywood Golden Age v. Wks. (1874) III. 75 Enter Ganimed compast in with soldiers. 1703 Rowe Fair Penit. v. i, Found him compass'd by Lothario's Faction. 1817 Byron Manfred i. i, Ye Spirits of the unbounded Universe..who do compass earth about. 1847 Tennyson Princ. ii. 421 [She] rapt in glorious dreams..Sat compass'd with professors. |
| fig. 1388 Wyclif Ps. xvii[i]. 5 The sorewis of deth cumpassiden me. 1610 Shakes. Temp. v. i. 180 All the blessings Of a glad father, compass thee about. 1814 Southey Carmina Aulica i. 3 Poems III. 232 At home worse dangers compass'd thee. |
7. To encircle, environ, lie round and enclose, as the sea, a girdle, etc. Also with
round,
about,
in.
| c 1340 Cursor M. 22705 Þe see þat compasseþ alle londe. 1388 Wyclif Jer. lii. 21 A roop of twelue cubitis cumpasside it. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxi. v, The firmament so compassing the land. 1576 Fleming Panop. Epist. 190 Your carkasse is compassed in a corruptible skin. 1664 Dryden Rival Ladies iii. i, I am compass'd round With Mirth. 1668 Culpepper & Cole Barthol. Anat. i. Introd. 1 Epigastrium, which compasses the stomach. 1735 Pope Donne Sat. ii. 84 Like the Sea they compass all the land. 1818 M. W. Shelley Frankenst. iv. 21 We were compassed round by a very thick fog. 1827 Hare Guesses (1859) 231 A lake wants mountains to compass and hold it in. |
8. To encircle, or surround
with something.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvii. clxii. (1495) 709 A meete borde is..sette vpon fete, and compassed wyth a lyste abowte. 1481 Caxton Myrr. i. xvi. 51 They..compassed it al aboute with a gyrdle. 1601 F. Godwin Bps. of Eng. 59 He compassed the Tower of London with a strong wall. 1685 Stillingfl. Orig. Brit. i. 29 The custome of compassing Churches with Church-yards was not so ancient. 1766 Porny Heraldry vi. §1 (1777) 214 Boniface VIII..Anno 1295 first compassed his Cap with a Coronet. 1859 Tennyson Geraint & Enid 48 He compass'd her with sweet observances And worship. |
† b. To embrace, encircle with the arms.
Obs.| c 1590 Marlowe Faust. (Qo. 1616) Wks. (Rtldg.) 124/1 In mine arms I would have compass'd him. 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. i. iii. 276 A Lady, wiser, fairer, truer, Then euer Greeke did compasse in his armes. |
IV. fig. To get within one's compass, grasp, or reach; to ‘get round’.
† 9. To catch, seize, lay hold of.
Obs.| 1509 Barclay Shyp of Folys (1570) 241 My pleasaunt pace Is light as flee, thus none that be can me compace. 1526 Tindale 1 Cor. iii. 19 It is written: He compaseth [1611 taketh] the wyse in their craftynes. |
10. To grasp with the mind, comprehend fully.
| 1576 Baker Jewell of Health 176 a, This maner who that can understand and compasse. a 1716 South (J.), The knowledge of what is good and what is evil..is a thing too large to be compassed..without brains and study. 1847 Longfellow Ev. ii. ii, Strange forebodings of ill..that cannot be compassed. |
11. To attain to or achieve (an end or object aimed at); to accomplish.
| 1549 (Mar.) Bk. Com. Prayer, Ordering of Priests, Ye cannot by any other meanes compasse the doyng of so weightie a woork. 1576 Fleming Panop. Epist. 85 You tooke upon you a greater charge..then you are able to compasse and perfourme. 1581 Rich Farewell (1846) 162, I can not compasse to take this woman. 1601 Shakes. Twel. N. i. ii. 45 That were hard to compasse, Because she will admit no kinde of suite. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. xxii. 77 The better to compass his intent. 1709 Pope Ess. Crit. 256 Since none can compass more than they intend. 1762–71 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Paint. (1786) II. 173 A painter may execute a head, though he cannot compass a whole figure. 1840 Macaulay Ess. Clive, Men who would unscrupulously employ corruption..to compass their ends. 1871 Rossetti Poems, Dante at Verona xxvi, The task is long, The time wears short to compass it. |
b. To get at, attain, obtain, win (an object).
| 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. ii. iv. 214 If not, to compasse her Ile vse my skill. 1608 ― Per. i. ii. 24 To compasse such a bondlesse happinesse. 1631 Heywood 1st Pt. Maid of West iii. Wks. 1874 II. 300 You have trickes to compasse these gay cloaths. a 1661 Fuller Worthies (1840) II. 502 He compassed the crown by cruelty. 1696 Evelyn Diary (1827) IV. 358 He compassed a vast estate. 1865 Trollope Belton Est. xxxi. 375 She was a free woman,—to be compassed if only a man might compass her. 1871 B. Taylor Faust (1875) I. i. 24 How hard it is to compass the assistance Whereby one rises to the source. |
† 12. To ‘get round’, ‘come round’, circumvent.
| 1563 Homilies ii. Rogat. Week iv. (1859) 496 Let no man subtilly compass or defraud his neighbour. 1568 Grafton Chron., Hen. VI, II. 538 The newe French Kyng..studiyng howe to compasse the Parisians, eyther with money, or with promise. Ibid. 681 He imagined how to compasse Thomas Lord Stanley..that he might be one of the confederacie. 1642 Rogers Naaman 133 Shee goes about to perform the condition her self, hoping thereby to compasse Christ. |
† b. To adulterate or sophisticate (wine, etc.).
| 1594 Plat Jewell-ho. i. §73. 64 Wine..trickt, or compassed, or at least mingled with other wine, hath euer since beene retailed..for wine. 1703 [see compassing vbl. n. 4]. |
† 13. To get over, surmount.
Obs.| 1561 T. Hoby tr. Castiglione's Courtyer (1577) E ij b, Ignoraunce..suche, that he cannot compasse that difficultie. |
V. [from the
n. or adj.] To make or be ‘compass’ or rounded.
14. trans. To bend into a circle or curve; to curve, incurve.
Cf. compassed 3.
| 1542 Lam. Treat. in Harl. Misc. (Malh.) I. 238 When they [mountains] be croked, or compassed hauenlyke they shewe much larger. 1598 Shakes. Merry W. iii. v. 112 To be compass'd like a good Bilbo in the circumference of a Pecke, hilt to point, heele to head. 1649 W. Blithe Eng. Improv. Impr. (1653) 210 Their ploughs are very small and light, and little compassed. 1689 Lond. Gaz. No. 2476/4 A dark brown Gelding..with a white slip down his Head to his Nose compass'd to the farther Eye. |
15. intr. To curve, bend round, be curved. (Now only of timber.)
Cf. compassing ppl. a. b.
| 1588 R. Parke tr. Mendoza's Hist. China 194 Sixe tables, placed in order, compassing rounde like a circle. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1673) 94 The horns..more crooked and bending, compassing behinde, as a Rams do. 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. ii. 2 At the ends they begin to compasse. c 1850 Rudim. Navig. (Weale) 112 Croaky, a term applied to plank when it curves or compasses much. |
▪ IV. † ˈcompass, v.2 Obs. [see compass n.2] trans. To
compost, to manure.
| 1557 Tusser 100 Points Husb. xi, One aker well compast, is worth akers three. 1573 ― Husb. (1878) 124 Thry fallowing won, get compassing don. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1673) 487 With the dung of Sheep they compasse and fat the earth. 1626 Bacon Sylva §596 As for Earth it Compasseth itself. 1632 J. Lee Short Surv. Sweden 12. |