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balance spring

American  

noun

Horology.
  1. hairspring.


Etymology

Origin of balance spring

First recorded in 1880–85


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The spiral balance spring revolutionized the accuracy of watches, enabling them to keep time to within a minute a day.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 31, 2011

In 1675 Huygens devised another fundamental improvement, the spiral balance spring.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 31, 2011

He invented the spiral balance spring still used in some watches today; made fundamental contributions to mechanics—e.g., the calculation of centrifugal force—and, from a study of the game of dice, to the theory of probability.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Through this work, Hooke came up with the idea of a new kind of pocket watch regulated by a balance spring.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

“I’m coming, my dear, I’m coming; only this balance spring is a job that I cannot well leave,” replied Nicholas, continuing his vocation in the shop, with a magnifying glass attached to his eye.

From Newton Forster The Merchant Service by Frederick Marryat

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