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compass

Nautical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An instrument with a magnetized needle that points north, used for navigation.

Detailed Definition
The compass is poetry’s quintessential symbol of direction, purpose, and the human need for orientation in a trackless world. Its steady needle, forever seeking the pole, becomes an emblem of constancy, conscience, and unwavering faith. Poets have used it to discuss moral bearings, the pull of home, and the ability to find truth amid confusion. The compass also carries the romance of exploration, transforming the unknown into a charted path. Its delicate balance on a gimbal suggests the fragile equilibrium required for spiritual navigation, and its deviation in storms mirrors the mind's own perturbations.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Touch but with gentlest finger the crystal that circles the mariner’s guide … the needle points North” (Edith Matilda Thomas, The Compass).; “The mariner’s compass is grog. Let but grog take its charge of the helm” (from a sea song).; “With a compass old and stars so bright, I set my course in the fading light” (Sailing Around the World).; The compass in poetry is the quintessential symbol of direction, purpose, and moral bearings.; Poets use the compass to discuss constancy, conscience, and the ability to find truth amid confusion.; The compass’s delicate balance on a gimbal suggests the fragile equilibrium required for spiritual navigation.
Additional Notes
The compass is the definitive symbol of guidance, direction, and unwavering purpose in nautical poetry, representing the human need for moral and spiritual bearings in a trackless world. Its needle, always seeking north, is an emblem of constancy, conscience, and the ability to find one's way through confusion. Poets have used the compass to discuss the stability of love, the pull of home, and the spiritual "true north" that orients one's life. The delicate balance of its needle on its pivot suggests the fragile equilibrium required for navigation and for maintaining one's principles. The compass also embodies the romance of exploration, transforming the unknown into a course. Its variation, or deviation from true north, can be a metaphor for moral drift or self-deception.
Other Meanings of “compass”
Also Known As
Mariner's compass magnetic compass steering compass
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