Present participle of compass; encompassing, achieving, or bringing about; circling around.
From 'compass' (verb, meaning to encircle, achieve, or understand) + '-ing' (present participle suffix). The word can mean both the literal action of drawing circles and the metaphorical action of accomplishing goals.
When a military strategist talks about 'compassing' a city, they mean encircling it—the original literal meaning. When a scholar talks about 'compassing' a concept, they mean fully grasping it. Same word, same underlying metaphor: to complete a circle around something.
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