beam compass
nounDrafting.
a compass having adjustable legs, set perpendicular to the paper and sliding along a horizontal bar so as to permit the drawing of large circles.
Origin of beam compass
1First recorded in 1775–85
Words Nearby beam compass
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use beam compass in a sentence
The beam-compass, Fig. 208, consists of two trammel-points running on a beam which may be made of any convenient length.
Handwork in Wood | William Noyes
British Dictionary definitions for beam compass
beam compass
noun
an instrument for drawing large circles or arcs, consisting of a horizontal beam along which two vertical legs slide: Also called: trammel
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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