/ ˈkʌmpəs; NAmE / noun
1.
(also magˌnetic ˈcompass ) [ C ] an instrument for finding direction, with a needle that always points to the north :
a map and compass
the points of the compass (= N, S, E, W, etc.)
2.
[ C ] (also com·passes [ pl. ]) an instrument with two long thin parts joined together at the top, used for drawing circles and measuring distances on a map :
a pair of compasses
3.
[ sing. ] ( formal ) a range or an extent, especially of what can be achieved in a particular situation :
the compass of a singer's voice (= the range from the lowest to the highest note that he or she can sing)
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French compas (noun), compasser (verb), based on Latin com- together + passus a step or pace. Several senses ( measure , artifice , circumscribed area , and pair of compasses ) which appeared in Middle English are also found in Old French , but their development and origin are uncertain. The transference of sense to the magnetic compass occurred in the related Italian word compasso , from the circular shape of the compass box.