gyrocompass

[ jahy-roh-kuhm-puhs ]

noun
  1. a navigational compass containing a gyroscope rotor, that, when adjusted for the latitude and speed of the vessel or aircraft, indicates the direction of true north along the surface of the earth or communicates this information to one or more gyro repeaters.

Origin of gyrocompass

1
First recorded in 1905–10; gyro(scope) + compass
  • Also called gyrostatic compass.

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British Dictionary definitions for gyrocompass

gyrocompass

/ (ˈdʒaɪrəʊˌkʌmpəs) /


noun
  1. nautical a nonmagnetic compass that uses a motor-driven gyroscope to indicate true north: Sometimes shortened to: gyro

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