binnacle

noun

bin·​na·​cle ˈbi-ni-kəl 

1

: a housing for a ship's compass and a lamp

2

: a container for instruments in an automobile dashboard

All but the shortest drivers find unrestricted sightlines to a hooded instrument binnacle loaded with nicely legible gauges.

—Daniel Charles Ross

Examples of binnacle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The main instrument binnacle is fixed to the steering column and moves with it; it’s made up of two OLED displays sandwiched together, with the second one visible through circular cutouts to create dials. —Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026

As for the steering wheel and binnacle, the latter is attached to the steering column to effortlessly match wheel positioning. —Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 25 May 2026

The dash is quite low in these cars, but the steering wheel’s position tends to impede line-of-sight to the binnacle. —Adam Ismail, The Drive, 18 Feb. 2026

Though the binnacle is dominated by screens, very select bits are entirely analog. —Jeremy White, Wired News, 9 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

alteration of Middle English bitakle, from Old Portuguese or Old Spanish; Old Portuguese bitácola & Old Spanish bitácula, from Latin habitaculum dwelling place, from habitare to inhabit — more at habitation

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for binnacle

• clinical
• cynical
• pinnacle
• nonclinical
• preclinical
• rabbinical
• subclinical

Kids Definition

binnacle

noun

bin·​na·​cle ˈbin-i-kəl 

: a box or stand containing a ship's compass and a lamp