plural of compassing

plural of compasser

Any of the horizontal directions indicated on a compass. There may be 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, or even 128 compass points on a compass, depending on its size and accuracy.

(nautical) The process of swinging and compensating a ship or aircraft compass by determining and reducing the deviation coefficients and recording the residual deviations; now done by computer.

A tool for drawing accurate circles or arches, usually consisting of two arms joined at one end in such a way that the arms can be opened and closed; one of the arms is pointed at its free end while the other holds a pencil, pencil lead or some other implement for making marks.

(nautical) To know, and demonstrate by reciting, the 32 points and quarter points of the magnetic compass from North or East, both clockwise and anticlockwise.

A gyrocompass.

(navigation) A graduated circle, usually marked in degrees, indicating directions and printed or inscribed on an appropriate medium.

(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.

(geometry, geomagnetism) The combination of variation and deviation which is the horizontal angle between the direction indicated by a magnetic compass and true north.