compass rose: Meaning and Definition of

com'pass rose"

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a circle divided into 32 points or 360° numbered clockwise from true or magnetic north, printed on a chart or the like as a means of determining the course of a vessel or aircraft.
  2. a similar design, often ornamented, used on maps to indicate the points of the compass.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.