magnetic compass

English

A magnetic compass

Noun

magnetic compass (plural magnetic compasses)

1. (military, nautical) An instrument containing a freely suspended magnetic element which displays the direction of the horizontal component of the Earth’s magnetic field at the point of observation.

   Synonym: (abbreviation) compass

2. A supposed organ, in some animals, that allows then to align themselves with the Earth's magnetic field.

Translations

instrument

• Finnish: magneettinen kompassi
• French: boussole magnétique f
• Galician: compás magnético m
• Greek: μαγνητική πυξίδα f (magnitikí pyxída)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: bussola magnetica f
• Japanese: 方位磁針 (hōijishin)
• Romanian: busolă magnetică f
• Tagalog: balniing paraluman

References

• Page 673, Webster's II New College Dictionary
• Page 215, The Military Dictionary, DIANE Publishing, 1987
• Page 425, A dictionary of Science, Literature and Art, William Thomas Brande, 1866 (plural form is defined)

Further reading

• “magnetic compass”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• JP 1-02 Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms
• “magnetic compass”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “magnetic compass”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.