hairspring

American

[hair-spring] / ˈhɛərˌsprɪŋ /

noun

Horology.

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

hairspring British

/ 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

Etymology

Origin of hairspring

First recorded in 1820–30; hair + spring

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.

However, Shapiro said, the production version of Resurgence will include a hairspring and bearings made in America.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2023

Its hairspring, mainspring, ruby bearings and a few other parts were sourced from Switzerland.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2023

It is intended to be the first member of a family of movements incorporating both the DIAMonSIL escapement and an adjustable oscillator fitted with a silicium hairspring.

From New York Times • Nov. 23, 2012

The whole economy seemed poised on such hairspring scales that businessmen took courage, or fright, from every vagrant sign.

From Time Magazine Archive

The hairspring stud is set in the cock like the Elgin three-quarter-plate movement.

From Watch and Clock Escapements A Complete Study in Theory and Practice of the Lever, Cylinder and Chronometer Escapements, Together with a Brief Account of the Origin and Evolution of the Escapement in Horology by Anonymous

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023