prismatic compass

American  

noun

1. a hand compass equipped with sights and prisms to permit aiming the instrument at a point and at the same time reading the compass direction of the point.

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Etymology

Origin of prismatic compass

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prismatic compass

He was a familiar figure at the outposts, on his steadily ambling nag, armed with his prismatic compass, his odometer, and his sketch-book.

From Military Reminiscences of the Civil War, Volume 2 November 1863-June 1865 by Jacob Dolson Cox

On all the hills in this neighbourhood the local attraction is so great that the prismatic compass is useless.

From Explorations in Australia, Illustrated, by John Forrest

Leather cases and straps for theodolite, circle, and prismatic compass.

From Successful Exploration Through the Interior of Australia by William John Wills

Meanwhile, Tatum had been reading a round of angles with the prismatic compass.

From The Ascent of Denali (Mount McKinley) A Narrative of the First Complete Ascent of the Highest Peak in North America by Hudson Stuck

The dip was so great that our prismatic compass would not set closer than about 15 degrees, but the long compass needle of the dip-circle, though of course sluggish, continued to give excellent results.

From The Home of the Blizzard Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914 by Sir Douglas Mawson