TIL I never knew English doesn't have a separate word for that tool.
this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2024
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It's a bit weird, isn't it?
Technically, the navigational tool is "a compass" and the geometric draw-a-circle tool is "a pair of compasses" (I don't know why) - but in general use, people just call both of them "a compass".
We've had hundreds of years to rename one of them, but for some reason haven't bothered.
If you use a stick with two points in it, its called a trammel.
Funny thing is this is actually a very good idea
One of the best things you can do on realizing you're lost is find a spot that's safe to sit still in and wait for someone to come looking.
Practicing a perfect circle sounds like a marvelous way to waste time until the rangers get to you from your last known location!
To do this, just lie the compass on its face and run your pencil around the outer edge, like you're making a hand turkey.
In that situation I'd get completely turned around, compass or not
And without any compass you'd be walking circles.