Word.ws English Dictionary

outkeeper

outkeeper noun: an attachment to a surveyor's compass for keeping tally in chaining.

Noun

outkeeper (plural outkeepers)

  1. An attachment to a surveyor's compass for keeping tally in chaining.
    • The surveyor kept a record of the number of “outs” sometimes using a counting device called an outkeeper, which was placed on the face of the instrument .2000, John Barry Love, The Colonial Surveyor in Pennsylvania, page 35
    • This particular instrument is unusual because of the additional dial, and the fact that the outkeeper appears at the east point instead of at the south end of the dial plate.2001, Silvio A. Bedini, With Compass and Chain, page 374
  2. One who is responsible for maintaining a remote area.
    • This was a single dwelling, the home of one of the outkeepers.1910, Horatio Alger (Jr.), Harry Vane: Or, In a New World - Volume 1910, page 70
    • My husband David is the 'outkeeper' dealing with all the grounds, gardens, shopping and housekeeping and building related issues," says Shirley.2010, Inns - Volume 14, page 24

Examples of outkeeper in a sentence

  • Some Irish and American instruments were equipped with an “outkeeper,” a dial that helped the surveyor keep track of the number of times (“outs”) a chain had been run.2020, Matthew H. Edney, Mary Sponberg Pedley, The History of Cartography, page 678:
  • Goldsmith Chandlee placed an outkeeper on his compasses like none other.2022, Walt H. Sirene, American Backcountry Tall Clock, page 258:
  • When she got to the outkeeper's house, however, Trevelton wasn't there, even though she'd been certain he would be.2018, R. T. W. Lipkin, Now Playing on Outworld 5730:

Forms of outkeeper

pluraloutkeepers

Questions about outkeeper

What does outkeeper mean?
Outkeeper means an attachment to a surveyor's compass for keeping tally in chaining.
How do you use outkeeper in a sentence?
Some Irish and American instruments were equipped with an “outkeeper,” a dial that helped the surveyor keep track of the number of times (“outs”) a chain had been run.
What part of speech is outkeeper?
Outkeeper is a noun.
What is the plural of outkeeper?
The plural of outkeeper is outkeepers.

Words near outkeeper in the dictionary

  1. outjuts
  2. outjutted
  3. outjutting
  4. outjuttings
  5. outkeep
  6. outkeeper
  7. outkeepers
  8. outkeeping
  9. outkeeps
  10. outken
  11. outkent

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: outkeeper (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “outkeeper.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/outkeeper. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.