Incompass

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To encircle or surround completely; to include or contain within a boundary or scope; to comprehend or embrace as part of a whole
2. To form a boundary around something; to cover or hold within a certain area; to incorporate or consist of various elements or aspects
3. To surround on all sides; to have or hold within a certain extent or range; to encompass or take into account as part of a larger context

Etymology: "Incompass" is formed by adding the prefix "in-" to "compass," so it means "to put within a compass." The base word "compass" itself traces back through Old French "compas," meaning a circuit or circle, to the Latin "compassare," to measure by pacing around. The sense of a circle or boundary is what carries into "incompass," where the idea is of drawing a boundary around something and holding it inside. The prefix does most of the work here. "In-" meaning "into" or "within" turns the noun of a boundary into a verb of enclosing, so the sense of surrounding and containing follows naturally from the root. The later extension to "take into account" grows from the same image: a thing that is within a boundary is something that is included in a wider frame.

Synonyms: encompass, surround, include, contain, comprise

Antonyms: exclude, leave out, omit, disregard, abandon