🇫🇷French Source WordCode: FR

boussole

Pronunciation / Transliteration: busol

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Compass/ˈkʌm.pəs/
nounverbCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #2150 frequency
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🇫🇷 Example Sentence in French:

"Il a consulté sa boussole pour trouver le nord."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    An instrument containing a magnetized pointer that shows the direction of magnetic north and bearings from it.

    "She used a map and a compass to navigate through the dense forest."
  2. 2

    The range or limits of something; scope or bounds.

    "His knowledge of ancient history is beyond the compass of this textbook."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from Old French 'compass', meaning 'circle, arc, or instrument for dividing', which stems from the Latin 'compassus' (circle, circuit), formed by 'com-' (together) and 'passus' (pace, step). By the 14th century, the term evolved in English to refer specifically to the navigational instrument utilizing a magnetized needle.

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