Showing results for binnacle. Search instead for Pinnacl.

binnacle

¹ American

[bin-uh-kuhl] / ˈbɪn ə kəl /

noun

Nautical.

a stand or enclosure of wood or nonmagnetic metal for supporting and housing a compass.

binnacle ² American

[bin-uh-kuhl] / ˈbɪn ə kəl /

New York State Older Use.

a side branch of a river; millrace.

binnacle British

/ ˈbɪnəkəl /

noun

a housing for a ship's compass

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of binnacle¹

1615–25; bin + ( bitt ) acle ( late Middle English bitakille ) < Portuguese bitacola < Latin habitāculum lodge, equivalent to habitā- ( see inhabit) + -culum -cule ²

Origin of binnacle²

1855–60, probably folk-etymological spelling of New York Dutch *binnekil, equivalent to Dutch binne ( n ) inner, interior ( see ben ¹) + kil channel; see kill ²

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

binnacle

noun

noun

Etymology

Origin of binnacle1

Origin of binnacle2

Origin of binnacle¹

Origin of binnacle²