compass course: Meaning and Definition of

com'pass course"

Pronunciation: [key]
— Naut. Naut.
  1. a course whose bearing is relative to the meridian as given by the navigator's compass, no compensation being made for variation or deviation. Cf. true course, magnetic course.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.