binnacle
1 Americannoun
noun
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The wheelie-dealies allow drivers to navigate the R2’s devilishly smart, wickedly fast UX, which splashes its crisp, legible graphics and impish animation across both the binnacle display and the one in the center dash.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
Every version comes loaded with double-layered glass, fully adjustable heated rear seats, real wood trim, a 12-inch high-definition touch navigation screen and a binnacle between the front seats that can recharge your smart phone wirelessly.
From Golf Digest ● Aug. 18, 2017
On one side of the structure is a protruding gray steel window that Mr. Radic likens to a binnacle, the box that encases a ship’s compass.
From New York Times ● Jul. 3, 2014
These, with the two compasses taken from the binnacle, was all that we had an opportunity of getting into the boat, and get in ourselves, when the ship capsized, with the mastheads in the water.
From Time Magazine Archive
Nat stood near the compass, holding his watch so that he could read the face in the glow of the binnacle lamp.
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
