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box the compass

box the com·pass
B b

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [boks stressed th ee kuhm-puh s]
    • /bɒks stressed ði ˈkʌm pəs/
    • /bɒks ðə ˈkʌm.pəs/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [boks stressed th ee kuhm-puh s]
    • /bɒks stressed ði ˈkʌm pəs/

Definitions of box the compass words

  • noun box the compass to name the compass points in order 3
  • noun box the compass to name the thirty-two points of the compass in order: compasses were kept in boxes 3
  • noun box the compass to make a complete circuit, returning to the starting point 3
  • verb with object box the compass Nautical. to boxhaul (often followed by off). 1
  • verb with object box the compass Meteorology. to fly around the center of a storm in a boxlike pattern in order to gather meteorological data: to box a storm. 1
  • idioms box the compass box the compass, Nautical. to recite all of the points of the compass in a clockwise order. 1
See all 8 definitions of box the compass

Information block about the term

Origin of box the compass

First appearance:

before 1745
One of the 47% newest English words
1745-55; probably < Spanish bojar to sail around, earlier boxar, perhaps < Catalan vogir to (cause to) turn ≪ Latin volvere (see revolve); influenced by box1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Box the compass

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Box the compass

box the compass popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 98% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

box the compass usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

See also

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