Phrase guide

pair of compasses

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A technical drawing instrument consisting of two hinged legs, one typically equipped with a sharp metal point for anchoring and the other with a holder for a pencil or pen, designed to inscribe circles or arcs of an adjustable radius.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: geometry, mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: compass

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

81 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: فِرْجَار (firjār) — tool used to draw circles
  • Arabic: بِرْكَار (birkār) — tool used to draw circles
  • Arabic: دَوَّارَة (dawwāra) — tool used to draw circles
  • Arabic: بِيكَار (bīkār) — tool used to draw circles
  • Arabic: فرجار (firjār) — tool used to draw circles
  • Armenian: կարկին (karkin) — tool used to draw circles
  • Azerbaijani: pərgar — tool used to draw circles
  • Basque: konpas — tool used to draw circles
  • Belarusian: цыркуль (cyrkulʹ) — tool used to draw circles
  • Bulgarian: перге́л (pergél) — tool used to draw circles
  • Catalan: compàs — tool used to draw circles
  • Chinese Cantonese: 圓規 /圆规 (jyun4 kwai1) — tool used to draw circles
  • Literary Chinese: 規 — tool used to draw circles
  • Literary Chinese: 鉤 — tool used to draw circles
  • Chinese Mandarin: 圓規 /圆规 (yuánguī) — tool used to draw circles
  • Crimean Tatar: pergel — tool used to draw circles
  • Czech: kružítko — tool used to draw circles
  • Danish: passer — tool used to draw circles
  • Dutch: passer — tool used to draw circles
  • Esperanto: cirkelo — tool used to draw circles
  • Estonian: sirkel — tool used to draw circles
  • Finnish: harppi — tool used to draw circles
  • French: compas — tool used to draw circles
  • West-Frisian: passer — tool used to draw circles
  • Galician: compás — tool used to draw circles
  • Georgian: ფარგალი (pargali) — tool used to draw circles
  • German: Zirkel — tool used to draw circles
  • Greek: διαβήτης (diavítis) — tool used to draw circles
  • Ancient Greek: διαβήτης (diabḗtēs) — tool used to draw circles
  • Ancient Greek: καρκίνος (karkínos) — tool used to draw circles
  • Hawaiian: ʻūpā — tool used to draw circles
  • Hebrew: מחוגה (mekhuga) — tool used to draw circles
  • Hindi: परकार (parkār) — tool used to draw circles
  • Hungarian: körző — tool used to draw circles
  • Icelandic: sirkill — tool used to draw circles
  • Icelandic: hringfari — tool used to draw circles
  • Indonesian: jangka — tool used to draw circles
  • Ingrian: tsirkkuli — tool used to draw circles
  • Irish: compás — tool used to draw circles
  • Old Irish: gabalrind — tool used to draw circles
  • Italian: compasso — tool used to draw circles
  • Japanese: コンパス (konpasu) — tool used to draw circles
  • Kalmyk: һортьг (ğortʹg) — tool used to draw circles
  • Kannada: ಕೈವಾರ (kaivāra) — tool used to draw circles
  • Korean: 컴퍼스 (keompeoseu) — tool used to draw circles
  • Korean: 콤파스 (kompaseu) — tool used to draw circles
  • Latin: circinus — tool used to draw circles
  • Latvian: cirkulis — tool used to draw circles
  • Lithuanian: skriestuvas — tool used to draw circles
  • Macedonian: шестар (šestar) — tool used to draw circles
  • Malay: jangka lukis — tool used to draw circles
  • Māori: tāporowhita — tool used to draw circles
  • Māori: tuhiporowhita — tool used to draw circles
  • Middle English: compas — tool used to draw circles
  • Norwegian: passer — tool used to draw circles
  • Ojibwe: waawiyebii'igan — tool used to draw circles
  • Pannonian Rusyn: циркель (cirkelʹ) — tool used to draw circles
  • Persian: پرگار (pargâr) — tool used to draw circles
  • Polish: cyrkiel — tool used to draw circles
  • Portuguese: compasso — tool used to draw circles
  • Romanian: compas — tool used to draw circles
  • Russian: ци́ркуль (církulʹ) — tool used to draw circles
  • Serbo-Croatian: šestar — tool used to draw circles
  • Old Slovak: cirkeľ — tool used to draw circles
  • Slovene: šestilo — tool used to draw circles
  • Lower Sorbian: kružydło — tool used to draw circles
  • Upper Sorbian: kružidło — tool used to draw circles
  • Spanish: compás — tool used to draw circles
  • Swahili: bikari — tool used to draw circles
  • Swedish: passare — tool used to draw circles
  • Tagalog: kompas — tool used to draw circles
  • Tagalog: aguhon — tool used to draw circles
  • Telugu: వృత్తలేఖిని (vr̥ttalēkhini) — tool used to draw circles
  • Thai: วงเวียน (wong-wiian) — tool used to draw circles
  • Thai: กงเวียน (gong-wiian) — tool used to draw circles
  • Thai: กางเวียน (gaang-wiian) — tool used to draw circles
  • Turkish: pergel — tool used to draw circles
  • Ottoman Turkish: پرگار (perger) — tool used to draw circles
  • Ukrainian: циркуль (cyrkulʹ) — tool used to draw circles
  • Uzbek: sirkul — tool used to draw circles
  • Vietnamese: com-pa — tool used to draw circles