compas

noun

com·​pas kōm-ˈpä How to pronounce compas (audio)
: a popular music of Haiti that combines Cuban and African rhythms

Examples of compas in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The bill is an impressive list of reggae, hip-hop/rap, R&B, house, Afrobeats, compas direk, reggaeton and Latin Urbano artists, including Koffee, Tekno, J. Perry, Jacob Forever as well as South Floridians Alexander Star and Yung Wylin’. Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2023 This syrupy rola by the Rancho Humilde compas is the meme manifested. Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2022 That’s exactly the kind of music Ivan Cornejo and his sad sierreños compas are doing. Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2022 His own music increasingly looked to Caribbean and African styles, including compas from Haiti, Congolese soukous from what was then Zaire, rumba from Cuba, highlife from Ghana and makossa from Cameroon. New York Times, 8 Aug. 2021 Cherry, who moved to New York and now lives in New Orleans, prides himself on having attended every compas fest. Jacqueline Charles, miamiherald, 9 May 2018 The 238-room, 11-story waterfront resort was completely updated last year and features nautical details like compases, maps and carpet patterns akin to fishermen's nets. William Axford, Houston Chronicle, 21 Dec. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'compas.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Haitian Creole konpa, literally, beat, rhythm, modification of Spanish compás beat, measure

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of compas was in 1985

Dictionary Entries Near compas

Cite this Entry

“Compas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compas. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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