hairspring

[ hair-spring ]

/ ˈhɛərˌsprɪŋ /

noun Horology.

a fine, usually spiral, spring used for oscillating the balance of a timepiece.

Nearby words

hairpiece, hairpin, hairsbreadth, hairsplitting, hairspray, hairspring, hairstreak, hairstyle, hairstylist, hairtail, hairweave

Origin of hairspring

First recorded in 1820–30; hair + spring

Also called balance spring.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hairspring

The gradual weakening or loss of elastic force of the hairspring is also a factor to be considered.
Rules and Practice for Adjusting Watches|Walter J. Kleinlein
The Curb Pins sometimes produce the ferric oxide mentioned by their action on the hairspring.
Friction, Lubrication and the Lubricants in Horology|William T. Lewis
The hairspring should be removed and the pivots known to be straight and polished before testing.
Rules and Practice for Adjusting Watches|Walter J. Kleinlein
When rust begins its attack upon any point of a hairspring there will be a constant loss in time until its advance is stopped.
Rules and Practice for Adjusting Watches|Walter J. Kleinlein

Thus the balance receives the power to keep it in motion, swinging it as far as the hairspring allows.
Time Telling through the Ages|Harry Chase Brearley

British Dictionary definitions for hairspring

hairspring

/ (ˈhɛəˌsprɪŋ) /

noun

horology a very fine spiral spring in some timepieces, which, in combination with the balance wheel, controls the timekeeping

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