compassrust
/ˈkʌmpəsˌrʌst/nounVerified NewThe atrophy of the sense of direction after years of turn-by-turn navigation.
People describe arriving somewhere familiar with no memory of the route, and being helpless in a new city the moment the signal drops. Compassrust is the navigational muscle quietly rusting in its sheath.
Etym. — *compass* (the internal one) + *rust*, on the atrophy-by-disuse pattern.
Rel. — curationrust
Novelty check: NEW · checked 2026-11-08
review evidence: wordstoreview/review-batch-3-03-tech.md
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