Binnacle
/ˈbɪnəkəl/noun
A stand or case on a ship’s deck that houses navigational instruments, especially the compass.
Did you know?Its distant ancestor, Latin habitaculum, also gave English the word “habitat,” linking a ship’s compass case with the idea of a place where something lives.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
habitaculum
“A dwelling or place of habitation; literally, a place for living.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
habitaculum
“A dwelling or enclosure, later applied to a housing or case for an instrument.”
15th Century
Portuguese
bitácula
“A shipboard case or housing for navigational instruments, probably reshaped from Latin habitaculum.”
15th Century
French
binacle
“A nautical housing or case for a compass.”
16th Century
English
binnacle
“A ship’s compass case or stand.”
Modern English
English
binnacle
“A protective structure on a vessel’s deck containing a compass and related instruments.”
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