different between compass vs span

compass

English

Pronunciation

  • enPR: k?m?p?s, IPA(key): /?k?m.p?s/
  • Rhymes: -?mp?s

Etymology 1

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.

Noun

compass (plural compasses)

  1. A magnetic or electronic device used to determine the cardinal directions (usually magnetic or true north).
    • 1689/1690, John Locke, On improvement of understanding
      He that [...] first discovered the use of the compass [...] did more for the propagation of knowledge [...] than those who built workhouses.
    • 1890, Wilhelm Westhofen, The Forth Bridge
      a glance at his compass would have shown him that a northerly course instead of an easterly could not be right
  2. A pair of compasses (a device used to draw an arc or circle).
    • 1701, Jonathan Swift, A Discourse of the Contests and Dissensions between the Nobles and the Commons in Athens and Rome, Chapter 5
      to fix one foot of their compass wherever they please
  3. (music) The range of notes of a musical instrument or voice.
  4. (obsolete) A space within limits; an area.
    • 1763, M. Le Page Du Pratz, History of Louisiana (PG), page 47:
      In going up the Missisippi [sic], we meet with nothing remarkable before we come to the Detour aux Anglois, the English Reach: in that part the river takes a large compass.
    • 1711, Joseph Addison, The Spectator
      Animals, in their generation, are wiser than the sons of men but their wisdom is confined to a few particulars, and lies in a very narrow compass.
    • 1913, D.H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, chapter 14
      Clara thought she had never seen him look so small and mean. He was as if trying to get himself into the smallest possible compass.
  5. (obsolete) An enclosing limit; a boundary, a circumference.
  6. Moderate bounds, limits of truth; moderation; due limits; used with within.
    • c. 1610, John Davies, Historical Tracts
      In two hundred years before (I speak within compass), no such commission had been executed.
  7. (archaic) scope.
    • 1814, William Wordsworth, The Excursion Book 8
      the compass of his argument
    • 1748, David Hume, Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral, Oxford University Press (1973), section 8:
      There is a truth and falsehood in all propositions on this subject, and a truth and falsehood, which lie not beyond the compass of human understanding.
    • 1844, Edgar Allan Poe, Marginalia
      How very commonly we hear it remarked that such and such thoughts are beyond the compass of words! I do not believe that any thought, properly so called, is out of the reach of language.
  8. (obsolete) A passing round; circuit; circuitous course.
    • 1611, King James Version, 2 Kings iii. 9
      They fetched a compass of seven days' journey.
Synonyms
  • (magnetic direction finder): magnetic compass
  • (device used to draw circular curves): pair of compasses
Hyponyms
  • (pair of compasses): beam compass
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

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.

Verb

compass (third-person singular simple present compasses, present participle compassing, simple past and past participle compassed)

  1. To surround; to encircle; to environ; to stretch round.
    • 1610, The Tempest, by William Shakespeare, act 5 scene 1
      Now all the blessings
      Of a glad father compass thee about!
    • And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
  2. To go about or round entirely; to traverse.
  3. (dated) To accomplish; to reach; to achieve; to obtain.
    • 1763, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emilius; or, an essay on education, translated by M. Nugent, page 117:
      [...] they never find ways sufficient to compass that end.
    • 1816, Catholicon: or, the Christian Philosopher, volume 3, from July to December 1816, page 56:
      [...] to settle the end of our action or disputation; and then to take fit and effectual means to compass that end.
    • 1921 November 23, The New Republic, volume 28, number 364, page 2:
      The immediate problem is how to compass that end: by the seizure of territory or by the cultivation of the goodwill of the people whose business she seeks.
  4. (dated) To plot; to scheme (against someone).
    • 1600, The Arraignment and Judgement of Captain Thomas Lee, published in 1809, by R. Bagshaw, in Cobbett's Complete Collection of State Trials, volume 1, page 1403–04:
      That he plotted and compassed to raise Sedition and Rebellion [...]
    • 1794 November 1, Speech of Mr. Erskine in Behalf of Hardy, published in 1884, by Chauncey Allen Goodrich, in Select British Eloquence, page 719:
      But it went beyond it by the loose construction of compassing to depose the King, [...]
    • 1915, The Wireless Age, volume 2, page 580:
      The Bavarian felt a mad wave of desire for her sweep over him. What scheme wouldn't he compass to mould that girl to his wishes.
Synonyms
  • (surround): encircle, environ, surround
  • (go about or around entirely): cover, traverse
  • (accomplish): accomplish, achieve, attain, gain, get to, reach
  • (plot (against someone)): conspire, plot, scheme
Translations

Adverb

compass (comparative more compass, superlative most compass)

  1. (obsolete) In a circuit; round about.
    • 1658, Thomas Browne, Urne-Burial,[1] Penguin (2005), ?ISBN, page 9:
      Near the same plot of ground, for about six yards compasse were digged up coals and incinerated substances, []

References

  • compass in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
  • compass in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Middle English

Noun

compass

  1. Alternative form of compas

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span

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English spanne, from Old English spann, from Proto-Germanic *spann? (span, handbreadth). Cognate with Dutch span, spanne, German Spanne. The sense “pair of horses” is probably from Old English ?espan, ?espann (a joining; a fastening together; clasp; yoke), from Proto-West Germanic [Term?]. Cognate with Dutch gespan, German Gespann.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation, General American)
    • IPA(key): /spæn/
    • Rhymes: -æn
  • (Australian English)
    • IPA(key): /spæ?n/
    • Rhymes: -æ?n

Noun

span (plural spans)

  1. The space from the thumb to the end of the little finger when extended; nine inches; an eighth of a fathom.
  2. (by extension) A small space or a brief portion of time.
    • 1699, George Farquhar, The Constant Couple
      Life's but a span; I'll every inch enjoy.
    • 2007. Zerzan, John. Silence.
      The unsilent present is a time of evaporating attention spans,
  3. A portion of something by length; a subsequence.
    • 2004, Robert Harris, Robert Warner, The Definitive Guide to SWT and JFace (page 759)
      For example, in OpenOffice.org or Microsoft Word, each span of text can have a style that defines key characteristics about the text: • What font it uses • Whether it's normal, bolded, italicized, []
  4. (architecture, construction) The spread or extent of an arch or between its abutments, or of a beam, girder, truss, roof, bridge, or the like, between supports.
  5. (architecture, construction) The length of a cable, wire, rope, chain between two consecutive supports.
  6. (nautical) A rope having its ends made fast so that a purchase can be hooked to the bight; also, a rope made fast in the center so that both ends can be used.
  7. (US, Canada) A pair of horses or other animals driven together; usually, such a pair of horses when similar in color, form, and action.
  8. (mathematics) The space of all linear combinations of something.
  9. (computing) The time required to execute a parallel algorithm on an infinite number of processors, i.e. the shortest distance across a directed acyclic graph representing the computation steps.
Derived terms
  • attention span
  • eyespan
  • memory span
  • spanless
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English spannen, from Old English spannan, from Proto-Germanic *spannan? (to stretch, span). Cognate with German spannen, Dutch spannen.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) and GenAm
    • IPA(key): /spæn/
    • Rhymes: -æn
  • AusE
    • IPA(key): /spæ?n/
    • Rhymes: -æ?n

Verb

span (third-person singular simple present spans, present participle spanning, simple past and past participle spanned)

  1. (transitive) To extend through the distance between or across.
    The suspension bridge spanned the canyon.
    • 1856-1858, William H. Prescott, History of the Reign of Philip II
      The rivers were spanned by arches of solid masonry.
  2. (transitive) To extend through (a time period).
    The parking lot spans three acres.
    The novel spans three centuries.
  3. (transitive) To measure by the span of the hand with the fingers extended, or with the fingers encompassing the object.
    to span a space or distance; to span a cylinder
  4. (mathematics) To generate an entire space by means of linear combinations.
  5. (intransitive, US, dated) To be matched, as horses.
  6. (transitive) To fetter, as a horse; to hobble.
Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English span, from Old English spann, from Proto-Germanic *spann, first and third person singular preterit indicative of Proto-Germanic *spinnan? (to spin).

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation, General Australian, General American) IPA(key): /spæn/
    • Rhymes: -æn

Verb

span

  1. (archaic, now nonstandard) simple past tense of spin

Anagrams

  • ANPs, NPAS, NSPA, PANs, PNAS, PNAs, Pans, SNAP, naps, pans, snap

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /sp?n/
  • Hyphenation: span
  • Rhymes: -?n

Etymology 1

From older gespan.

Noun

span n (plural spannen, diminutive spannetje n)

  1. A span, a team (pair or larger team of draught animals). [from 17th c.]
  2. A cart or instrument with a team of draught animals. [from 18th c.]
  3. A romantic pair, couple. [from 19th c.]
Derived terms
  • driespan
  • tweespan
  • vierspan
  • zesspan
Descendants
  • Afrikaans: span

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Verb

span

  1. first-person singular present indicative of spannen
  2. imperative of spannen

Anagrams

  • snap

Middle English

Noun

span

  1. Alternative form of spanne

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch gespannen.

Noun

span

  1. tense

West Frisian

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

span n (plural spannen, diminutive spantsje)

  1. span, team (pair of draught animals in a team)
  2. pair, couple

Further reading

  • “span (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

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