compass card

American  

noun

Navigation.

1. a circular card with magnets attached to its underside, the face divided on its rim into points of the compass, degrees clockwise from north, or both, and floating or suspended from a pivot so as to rotate freely.

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compass card British  

noun

1. a compass in the form of a card that rotates so that "0°" or "North" points to magnetic north

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Etymology

Origin of compass card

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

I actually prefer trying to hold a number on its screen rather than trying to keep a compass card in alignment.

From Time Magazine Archive

But they never look at the instrument board on a line run without seeing on the compass card a sharp reminder of a TWA deficiency: all its routes run east and west.

From Time Magazine Archive

When, and by whom, the compass card was added is a matter of conjecture.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 7 "Columbus" to "Condottiere" by Various

The engraved compass card is signed by Nathaniel Hurd, goldsmith, silversmith, and engraver of Boston.

From Early American Scientific Instruments and Their Makers by Bedini, Silvio A.

The compass card, made from a line engraving, is identical in each of the three examples.

From Early American Scientific Instruments and Their Makers by Bedini, Silvio A.