escape wheel

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noun Horology.

a toothed wheel for regulating a going train to which it is geared, engaging intermittently with the pallets of a pendulum or balance mechanism in such a way as to cause the mechanism to oscillate rhythmically, and in so doing free the going train for part of each oscillation.

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Also called scape wheel.

Origin of escape wheel

First recorded in 1880–85

Words nearby escape wheel

escape road, escape routine, escape shaft, escape velocity, escapeway, escape wheel, escapism, escapist, escapologist, escapology, escargot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use escape wheel in a sentence

After the captain made the call to abandon ship, 150 people were able to escape on lifeboats lowered by electronic arms.
‘We’re Going to Die’: Survivors Recount Greek Ferry Fire Horror|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The irony did not escape one local, Laith Hathim, as he stood and watched the newly minted refugees make their way into Mosul.
Has the Kurdish Victory at Sinjar Turned the Tide of ISIS War?|Niqash|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His harrowing escape from Vienna when Hitler took Austria in March 1938 is dramatically chronicled in his memoirs.
The Catholic Philosopher Who Took on Hitler|John Henry Crosby|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This final episode of Extras is the perfect Christmastime escape for those who prefer the bittersweet to the saccharine.
The Top 10 Nontraditional Christmas TV Episodes|Jace Lacob|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

They were racing toward the corner of Tompkins and Myrtle avenues with Johnson at the wheel when another call came over the radio.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"Capital, capital," his lordship would remark with great alacrity, when there was no other way of escape.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Never again would he sit behind that wheel rejoicing in the insolence of speed.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
He deposited it on the vacant seat, clambered up behind the wheel, and started.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Thinking to escape and summon assistance from the cantonment, Douglas mounted the wall and leaped into the moat.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
After the wretch had stabbed her in three places, he went to make his escape out at a window; but she cried out, My dear!
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe

British Dictionary definitions for escape wheel

escape wheel

noun

horology a toothed wheel that engages intermittently with a balance wheel or pendulum, causing the mechanism to oscillate and thereby moving the hands of a clock or watchAlso called: scapewheel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012