compass
n. countablen. a tool with a magnetic needle that always points north to help you find your way. It can also mean a tool used for drawing perfect circles.
n. an instrument containing a magnetized pointer which shows the direction of magnetic north and bearings from it. In geometry, refers to a V-shaped instrument used for drawing circles or arcs.
He checked his compass to see if they were heading north.
The hikers relied on a map and a compass after their phone batteries died in the woods.
In the architectural studio, the student used a precision compass to draft the circular elements of the floor plan with mathematical accuracy.
From Middle English compas (“a circle, circuit, limit, form, a mathematical instrument”), from Old French compas, from Medieval Latin compassus (“a circle, a circuit”), from Latin com- (“together”) + passus (“a pace, step, later a pass, way, route”); see pass, pace.
From Middle English compassen (“to go around, make a circuit, draw a circle, contrive, intend”), from Old French compasser; from the noun; see compass as a noun.
When referring to the drawing tool, it is often used in the plural form 'a pair of compasses'.